A Route Obscure And Lonely
by DragonflyxParodies
Summary: Sheikah. Gerudo. Prey. Synonyms to the Hylians. Hunted for sport, both races have long since fled Hyrule or died out-except for a few, safe in one of nine sanctuaries spread across Hyrule. When one lone survivor seeking family is forced to ally himself with a Hero as Twilight descends, however, all of Time hangs in the balance.
1. Shadow Hunting

Vivid scarlet-a color he was intimately familiar with-speckling dark emerald leaves left a clear trail for the hounds to follow. Every instinct within him screamed to bind his wounds, to stop the bleeding, but the noise of crashing undergrowth and the barking of wolfos kept his legs pumping desperately. Blood ran down the side of his jaw, covering the tattoo he had been so proud of only minutes before and soaking the thick cloth of his cowl.

Malladus had nicked his cheek in training just before the first hound attacked, but it was the cut on his upper arm that was giving him away. The best he had been able to do was keep his arm clenched tightly to his side, turning it awkwardly so that as little of his blood poured out onto passing branches as possible. It was far from effective, but he would take even the smallest bit of help.

Sheik wove through the trees, his familiarity with the land the only thing keeping him ahead of his pursuers. He could see flashes of Malladus ahead of him, casting spells to hide the Seventh and to slow or kill their pursuers. Automatically Sheik began running towards the older Sheikah, knowing he would be safest with Malladus. A flurry of shouts rang out behind him, much closer than he had anticipated.

He risked a glance over his shoulder-to see a Hylian wearing silver armor lift a bow, an arrow strung. Sheik's eyes widened and he jerked his head around, swerving as the arrow flew. It missed him, but only barely. He pumped his legs faster-but the second took him in the shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground. The arrow caught on something and wrenched around in the wound, eventually bending so far it snapped into two pieces as he tumbled through the woods. Lightning shot through his body, excruciating in its intensity.

He had withstood pain before and knew better than to show any sort of weakness in front of his enemies, but as he crumpled to the loamy earth, a soft cry slipped past him. Sheikah weren't supposed to show pain, no matter the circumstances. Shame, hot and miserable, flooded him as he struggled to his feet. He had failed, both Malladus and his people, something he had promised Veran he would never do.

Power surged from beneath him, Poes bursting at their bonds so far beneath the earth that even the Fracturing had not disturbed their graves. The Ninth had not been managed by a live Sheikah in countless moons, and the magic that kept the dead from the surface had weakened severely. Sensing his terror, they sought to protect him, and were further weakening the damaged network of magic.

Instinctively, Sheik thrust all of his magic down into the Ninth's web, briefly loosing focus on what was going on around him.

Something heavy and powerful slammed into him and he reflexively jerked his arms up as his vision cleared. It was a wolfos, half-starved and sickly, eyes wild with rage and a desperate sort of hunger. It snarled at him, its hot, rank breath pouring over his face as globs of white drool splattered his cowl. He struggled to breathe properly-nearly dead or not, its weight was double, if not triple, what he weighed and his chest screamed with pain as air came less freely to his lungs. Its jaws lunged for his throat-

-and his arm was crushed beneath its maw, blood, bone, and shredded cloth splattering both of their faces.

By some miracle, he managed not to scream, but his horror knew no bounds.

Sheikah bones were lighter, more fragile than Hylian's. A break such as this, without the aid of a powerful dead soul, could incapacitate him for the rest of his life.

There was a blur of motion above him, and for one terrible moment, Sheik saw directly into the wolfos' mouth, parts of himself caught in its jagged teeth and everything so _very _red. Then Malladus was kneeling before him, hooking an arm around his waist and drawing him up even as the older Sheikah began moving.

"Don't give them the satisfaction of crying, Sheik." Malladus breathed, ducking and weaving a blinding pattern throughout tree trunks. Squeezing his eyes shut, Sheik nodded against Malladus' shoulder.

Malladus suddenly cursed and Sheik lifted his head in time to see something falling over them from above. Yellow-red magic flared around them, but the net cut through it like a razor.

The net crashed over Malladus, sending both of them tumbling to the ground.

He caught sight of an ugly wound stretching almost all the way down Malladus' side as the older Sheikah began to curse, thrashing against the net's hold. Sheik himself remained absolutely still, remembering Veran's lessons as silver-clad Hylians approached.

Never show pain. Never cry. Never let them know when you are at your breaking point.

The camaraderie he saw above him only intensified his fears. A year he had spent in the Seventh and he knew that at triple that time had passed in the outside world, but they had emerged far too soon. They had not yet faded into nightmares, into stories told to children. These Hylians were fully comfortable with hunting them down-and, most terrifying of all, they were experienced with it.

Sheik recognized the Hylian who had shot him, as they ringed the net. Malladus, lying only a few feet away from him, twisted around so that their eyes met and called for him in the tongue of their people.

"If you see a chance, take it. Don't worry about me." Malladus' voice rasped, trying to maneuver his tangled body to see all of the Hylians and Sheik at the same time.

"But-"

"Don't question me!" Malladus snarled, ruby eyes flashing yellow for an instant. Sheik held his gaze, realizing that Malladus, for all the power he held, was terrified.

His nod still felt like a betrayal.

A rush of Hylian above him startled Sheik, and he looked up at the soldiers-because that was what they were, soldiers hired to slay the innocent and the helpless. He barely understood Hylian at the best of times, when Veran was speaking softly and slowly to him, enunciating each word carefully. The language grated on his ears, choppier and erratic compared to the Sheikah tongue. Most of the words spoken he couldn't make out, but he was aware most of them were slurs, threats of violence and death.

One Hylian dressed in less practical armor than the rest sauntered forward and stood over him, leering as he barked something out. Malladus snarled back, straining against his bonds.

Malladus had always been massive, especially for a Sheikah. Broad-shouldered and heavily muscled, he had always looked more like Gerudo, save the coloring of his skin, hair, and eyes. Sheik had always imagined putting him side-to-side with Ganondorf. He had no doubt their meeting would be something to behold, the Bearer of Power and a demon so old he had witnessed the creation of the Triforce.

The decorated Hylian laughed, lifted a spear, and smashed it against Malladus' stomach. He said something else, looking smug, and pivoted on his foot as he walked off.

Then the hounds lunged.

As the wolfos snarled, striving for their throats, the Hylians jerked the net around, attaching it to a pair of horses. Sheik marveled at how well they'd been herded-right to the edge of one of Faron's paths. This had obviously been planned out.

But, how? That had been the very first time they had left the Seventh since they had arrived.

A wolfos bleeding profusely from a wound on its head jumped atop him, snarling furiously as it tried to get at his throat. With only one good arm, Sheik frantically shifted about, wriggling out from one particular tangle in the net, and succeeded in twisting the wolfos' paws too severely for it to escape. The maneuver cost him, a number of thin claw marks ran across his cheek, chest, and good arm, but there was nothing too serious.

The dragging became rough after that, though, and Sheik was struck a number of times in his still-bleeding arm and shoulder. He already knew the blood loss was affecting him, lightening his head and making him far more tired than he should have been, but he couldn't cope with repeated blows.

He sank into darkness.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Splintered memories flickered to life, until he couldn't separate past from present.

Time had always been something malleable to him-that very quality of it was why he was alive then, after all-but never like this. Almost entirely forgotten people appeared, strangers without a name, places he could barely remember being. Scattered throughout his recollections were images of the present, the tiny animal stall he was tossed into, the wolfos reaching at him, trying to snag his flesh. He was lucky they had been so domesticated-wolfos in the wild usually went bipedal, like most sentient creatures, and possessed incredible dexterity in their limbs.

He wasn't feverish for long, maybe a day or so, but he woke with the image of his uncle clearly burned into his retinas.

Ganondorf's picture was disjointed, a collection of faded reminiscences stitched together by Veran's legends. He remembered riding on the Gerudo King's shoulders, half-asleep and hugging the crown of his head tightly to keep from falling. Broad and built like a predatory cat, Ganondorf had been nothing but muscle. He'd had a daughter Sheik's age, and she'd shown off how strong she was by punching her father in the stomach. Sheik remembered laughing with her as Ganondorf had played the part of a wounded enemy, doubling over dramatically and crying out that he was defeated, asking the great Gerudo warrior for mercy.

Sheik remembered the fear that had lurked behind his eyes, haunted his smile and echoed in his laughter as he had promised his people that they would be safe. It was the same fear that had burned in Malladus' eyes.

His stomach was tight, throat dry as the desert sands. Hunger was nothing new to him, and he ignored it as he sat up. A chorus of low growls echoed from the darkness around him, and Sheik recalled that he was not safe.

"Malladus?" He breathed softly, voice echoing throughout the room he was in. There was stone beneath him, cold and damp. The smell of decay was everywhere, rotting wood and rotting flesh combined. There was very little light, and if he were Hylian or Gerudo he would have been blind-but he was a Sheikah and he could see perfectly fine.

He was in what appeared to be a dungeon, a large circular room filled with wolfos, empty cages, the remnants of the hounds' meals, and waste. He was alone.

There were cracks in the stonework, roots spilling in from outside. Most emerged from underground, revealing only dark earth, but near the top there were some that were clusters of leaves, letting green light dribble down. The ragged remains of finery hung in the room, which puzzled Sheik. Hylians were never ones to waste anything expensive-why fill a room such as this with their animals? Portraits still hung on the wall, framed with gold and depicting a desolate road leading to a black keep, skeletal trees clutching at the edges while a pregnant sky let loose its lightning.

Tentatively, he reached out with his magic.

Furious, raw, explosive rage. Holy magic, imbuing every pebble, every grain of _dust_ with sentience, aching with the violations it had suffered. The sheer power would have consumed him, had he not been nearly expecting it to happen.

The wolfos pack woke as one, keening and struggling to get as far away from Sheik as they could as he gasped for breath, reeling from the force of the spirit haunting this desecrated temple.

The shadows in the room lengthened, darkened, and began to form a physical shape. It was a strange sight to see, like watching someone pour water into a glass without the glass. There was nothing to contain the shadows, yet as they splashed against one another they hit an invisible wall, a definitive barrier in the shape of a man.

He collapsed to the ground outside of Sheik's cage, bloody eyes meeting bloody eyes.

Sheik didn't recognize what form the shadows had taken, save that it was Hylian, and thereby it had been a Hylian that had mastered it last.

The spirit moved faster than even Veran could move when she was furious with Malladus, a black-hilted blade appearing in his grip and striking the cage's rusted door. It crumpled soundlessly, dissolving into pools of rust that clung to Sheik's blood-soaked clothes. It tilted its head and beckoned for him to emerge, and he slowly obeyed.

The shadow's form splintered suddenly, and Sheik could acutely feel the spirit's hatred, boiling hotter than Death Mountain. He cautiously reached out and pressed his good hand against the shadow, wincing at the chill of it as he realized that the bandages wound around his arm were little more than tatters at this point. He poured his magic into it, gently circling it until a framework was formed, keeping the form even if the spirit's magic collapsed.

"Who do you serve?" Sheik asked in Sheikah, dropping his hand and taking a small step back. He knew he was being extremely informal to the ancient thing he had just aided, but Veran had never covered etiquette in her lessons. He gave a short bow, as best he could without agitating his injuries too much.

"Lanayru." The shadow's voice was little more than a hiss, a rush of escaped air. Ruby eyes studied him intently, the sort of gaze Malladus had first given Skull Kid when Sheik had first brought it to the Seventh to play with. The shadow was assessing whether or not he'd be a threat.

Sheik let a weary smile touch his lips.

"What Temple?"

"Faron's Keep, little one." Sheik's eyes widened.

"Faron's mutt weakened me, bound me to this until Lanayru's blood found me."

"Did Malladus-?"

Voices, unfamiliar and speaking Hylian. The shadow moved immediately, flowing to a wall and lifting his sword.

"Lanayru gets her revenge now, little one." It was crooned like a lullaby, the reverence it was spoken with resounding like a prayer.

The wall parted, revealing a staircase leading up. Unlike the rest of the room, it carried an air of not belonging, being itself rougher and less fluent than the rest of the room. Even the wilting paintings carried with them a sense of right. The Hylians must have built it, Sheik realized-just as two of them, laughing and chattering to one another, died beneath a stroke of the shadow's blade.

"Malladus…Do you know if he's alright?" Sheik asked quickly, before the shadow vanished up the staircase. It paused and turned to face him, ruby eyes narrowed.

"What is the demon to you, blood?" The shadow's tone startled him, filled with warning.

"Father." Sheik replied simply, tilting his head up to make himself seem somewhat larger. Blood did not bind him to Malladus, or Veran for that matter. What tied them together was something more important, something deeper.

He knew Malladus' history, just as he knew Veran's. He knew Malladus was an ancient evil, bound formless unless he stole the body of a Royal Sheikah. He knew what crimes Veran had committed. He knew both had been imprisoned, a fate worse than death to the Sheikah, spirits ripped from their breathing bodies and mummified alive.

He knew the Fracturing had set them free.

But what was more important than the choices they had made previously was that they had been there for him. They had raised him, trusted him, trained him. He was the son of the leader of the Sheikah, if his blood father was still alive. They had known that. They could have gone to the Traitor's side, abandoned their people to Hylian blades and slain him when the chance first presented itself.

A small smile tugged, unseen, on the shadow's lips. Sheik walked towards the stairwell as quickly as he could, wounds still burning with pain, as the spirit vanished. The wolfos wouldn't stir immediately, but he knew they would eventually and he had to find Malladus.

He didn't have to look long.

The stairs emerged into a large central chamber with a multitude of halls branching off of it, lit by daylight pouring in from a variety of stained-glass windows and torches bracketed to the walls. In the center of the chamber sat a pair of thrones. Sitting in them were two Hylians, one the same that had argued with Malladus when they had first been caught, the other a woman dressed in a pale blue dress. Ten soldiers stood in front of them, four on either side of the thrones and two holding a man down between them.

Malladus.

He was bloodied, almost beyond recognition. His clothes had been shredded by weapons, and Sheik could clearly see brand marks scattered across his back.

"Malladus…" His voice was barely above a whisper, but everyone in the room heard it. The soldiers spun around to face him, cries of alarm flickering to life as they drew their weapons. The woman in blue cried out in horror. Malladus' head snapped around, yellow eyes burning as they met Sheik's.

In that instant, Sheik knew what he was going to do.

"Run." Malladus' voice was hoarse, little more than a growl.

And Sheik watched his father release control of his form, the demonic aura he had always meticulously contained exploding outwards, freezing all of the Hylians in place for one long, eternal instant.

His mass ballooned, swelled, tossing the Hylians holding him down like ragdolls. Sheik took a half-step back, glancing over his shoulder to see if there were any Hylians there. The way out was clear. His gaze swung forward to look at Malladus-

-A flicker of movement caught Sheik's attention and he lifted his gaze to a balcony set above them. A Hylian was drawing a massive broadsword, shouting something inaudible over the sound of Malladus' roars.

Sheik screamed out a warning-

-the Hylian jumped-

-Malladus' magic rose like a tidal wave-

-and with an unearthly scream, the Hylian's blade lodged itself hilt-deep in the back of Malladus' neck.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, Malladus slowly collapsing, Hylians screaming as his weakening claws tore through their stomachs, his own voice rising far above all of it.

Yellow eyes met red for the last time.

"_Run_."

And then Malladus' form broke, the last droplets of Royal Sheikah blood falling to the ground as a tsunami of magic slammed into Sheik, sweeping him elsewhere before he could so much as think of replying.

The interior of the Seventh appeared around him, cloaking spells masking the location from potential followers. The last wisps of Malladus' immense power settled over him like a cloak, a goodbye that had never been spoken.

And Veran's anguished cry wailed into the night, an echo of the loss pounding in his own heart.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**A/N! This has been rewritten. Yay. Also, will be updated. Soon.**

**Do I own LoZ or Poe's poem? Not on your life.**

**This fic be the fic for Camp Nano. Finally came up with a name by googling random words and reading the quotes I got. Hence the Poe thing.**

**So, I suppose I should put a warning thingy here? This fic will contain a lot of racism (If you couldn't already tell...) and violence. I'd elaborate but that would ruin the plot. Blame it on history-learning about WWII and wondering about how the Sheikah fit into Hylian society.**

**So, anyway, this fic takes place during the time of Twilight Princess, after Ocarina of Time. Hope you enjoyed it, I'm in love with this idea~**


	2. Shadow Marking

Veran had been entirely correct in telling him that this particular ceremony would hurt more than the others he had endured, but it wasn't as excruciating as she had made it sound. He lay still on the floor of the Seventh while she whispered to herself, a ribbon of blood looping in the air around them as she etched it into his flesh.

The other tattoos had been made using ink typical of the Sheikah, forming symbols and runes to mark his success undergoing the Trials and his communion with Lanayru herself. Magical, yes, but nowhere near as potent as this.

He was old enough now to withstand such a ceremony without the magic twisting his soul, Veran had claimed. He doubted such a thing was possible, and suspected she had been waiting until she was ready, but he always erred on the side of caution and waiting would do them no harm.

Besides, he hadn't been certain he was ready either.

Before Malladus had died, he had bled himself, collecting the liquid in a vial to be used when Sheik reached of age. Veran had undergone something similar, but it had been up to her to magically seal the blood so the power in it remained there year after year.

The ceremony was not typical of the Sheikah. Malladus, when alive, had added his own touch to it. The Bleeding Eye, a symbol sacred to the Sheikah, was usually tattooed onto a Sheikah sometime during their life. Using his blood instead of ink had been Malladus' touch. Veran, too, would add hers in a few days, once she had decided he had recovered sufficiently.

Sheik didn't know if Malladus had known his 'death' was coming or not, but the demon's foresight was a blessing. Sheik would have something tangible that he could never lose, from both of them.

His chest stung fiercely as Veran worked her magic, and his eyes roamed across the ornate ceiling of the Seventh.

He had voiced his concerns many times that this wasn't the best place to hide, that maybe the Eighth or the Fifth would have served them better. Time was intimately tied with all Hylians, but none more so than the Hero, and with the Master Sword slumbering only a few feet away from where he and Veran slept, that could be dangerous. The previous Hero was the cause of the Fracturing-his reincarnation _would_ eventually come here and _would_ find them.

And then Sheik would either have watch his mother die before him or kill the Hero, and doom any other Sheikah living in the Distortions like they were.

He turned his head, careful to move only his head as he did so, and his gaze fell to his outstretched right arm.

He'd nearly lost his use of it, after the attack. Veran had saved it by binding him to something within the Seventh's heart, but she refused to tell him what it was or the price he would pay for it. He had his theories, though.

The scars were ugly and long as they twisted from his wrist to his elbow. The bite mark had never healed perfectly, and the skin was puckered and knobby around the missing chunk of flesh. The lower half of his face still bore silvery scars of wolfos claws, and his left arm was crisscrossed with them. His chest was similarly scarred, and he bore other scars from close encounters with other monsters and training sessions-Veran did not believe in coddling. Skull Kid had even given him a few, although those had been accidental. He kept them covered when he could. Whenever she saw them, Veran's eyes always darkened. He was too young to have seen such violence, she claimed.

The massive double doors that served as the entrance to the Seventh swept in, letting in a burst of sunlight and forest sound pour in. Sheik reflexively pulled on his magic, forming a spell in case it was a hostile intruder-and he let it dissolve when Skull Kid scampered in.

Glinting golden eyes surveyed the two of them, and a skeletal hand reached up to tug at the brim of its hat. Amidst the leaves Skull Kid had woven into it there were a few feathers, courtesy of Sheik. It wore colorful clothing stitched together out of fragments of cloth, and a heavy bag was strapped to its back. Brown threads of magic encircled the creature's fingertips, most of them ending in severed, frayed threads.

That should have been his first clue.

"What are you doing?" Skull Kid asked, dropping down dramatically beside Veran and resting its head against her shoulder. It spoke in Hylian, the only language it knew. It had been an effort when they had first met one another for Sheik to learn Hylian, but at this point he was fluent enough that he only reverted to Sheikah when he was furious about something.

"Spell-casting." He replied, watching Veran intently. Skull Kid usually didn't bother her, but she was irritable when using magic. She didn't seem disconcerted by its presence this time, a good thing for both of them.

"Are you almost done?"

"What's your hurry?"

"There's something I want to show you." Skull Kid replied, eyes flashing brighter than they had in a while.

It had been a while since Sheik had played a game with the Faron's construct. He had been focused solely on training for a long time, and a pang of guilt ran through him. He supposed it was a fairly macabre thing to amuse oneself with, tormenting those who managed to find themselves in the Seventh with no way out, but Hylians were the only ones to ever enter Faron's Grove. And he owed it to the creature-Skull Kid had taught him to use rudimentary construct magic to do things that learned experts couldn't, to make the most of his own magic and to borrow from the natural world, but above all, to never underestimate the wrath of the woods.

Faron's Grove was very hypocritical, but so was he. If the Hylian they were playing with lashed out, its ire knew no bounds. He knew to respect the land, but Skull Kid's lessons stressed that. Hyrule was a living thing, still enraged over the Fracturing and the Distortions. It wanted to be made whole again.

"As soon as Veran's done." Sheik promised. A grin stretched across Skull Kid's face, and it dropped its bag to the ground beside it, pouring out its treasures.

Small trinkets recovered from the bodies of those who had enraged the Grove, pebbles glittering with color, feathers too large to weave into its hat, and a number of ancient masks poured out onto the marble floor of the Seventh.

"I wore this one once." Skull Kid conferred softly, lifting up a heart-shaped mask. It had once been brightly painted, but age had faded the colors. They were still there, but washed-out, tired looking. Powerful magic stirred at Skull Kid's touch, fondly entwining with the construct's own magic.

"How's Majora today?" Sheik asked, biting back a yelp of surprise as Veran deftly pinched him, not even pausing in her spell. The ribbon of scarlet above them continued to flow as if nothing had occurred.

"Excited." Skull Kid replied, another grin appearing.

That should have been his second clue.

There was a sharp, agonizing bolt of fire, and Veran laughed as she dropped onto her back, dragging one hand through her messy hair. She was more voluptuous than most Sheikah were, but still had the slender build typical of their people. Her hair, cut longer on one side than the other, was disheveled-another night of nightmares had left her exhausted. It amazed him that she'd had the strength to do this.

Sheik bolted up, one hand curling around his stomach, and promptly collapsed again, the pain growing more intense.

"What-"

"Told you it would hurt more." Veran sang, rolling to her feet and dusting her hands off. A silver circle of magic appeared in front of him, letting him see what she had done.

The Bleeding Eye stretched across his chest and torso, the color of blood.

Malladus' blood.

"He'd be pleased." Veran said softly, dispelling the circle. Sheik, mute, simply nodded.

"Give it a few minutes and then go, to let the magic settle." Veran instructed, wandering off. Sheik nodded again.

Skull Kid repacked his belongings in silence, keeping Majora out until last.

By the time Faron's construct had finished, Veran had decided Sheik was well enough to go. He dressed, rolling his eyes as Skull Kid pranced around impatiently.

"I'm hurrying."

"It's all those bandages! Just don't wear them!" Skull Kid wailed. Sheik laughed softly, then winced as a barb of pain hooked through his chest. He still didn't take Skull Kid's advice, resolutely donning the garb he had worn for years. Sheikah were traditional, and Veran had raised him as Sheikah-like as possible. He grimaced as he tugged on the tabard, but after he let his arms drop his pains subsided.

"I'll be back before dark, Veran." He said, quickly tucking his weapons away. Skull Kid said nothing about it, and he finished before Veran had responded.

"Be safe, Sheik."

"You too." He said firmly, glancing up at her. Veran held his gaze for a moment longer, a soft, sad smile splaying across her lips.

Then Skull Kid grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the Seventh, whisking the doors shut behind them.

"What is it you want to show me?" Skull Kid didn't answer, instead pulling him towards the door that marked the entrance to the Seventh's Distortion. Sheik whispered a prayer to Lanayru, feeling her power cloak him as he helped Skull Kid push the door open.

Were he not to pray and exit the Distortion, even for a second, he would return to find Veran impossibly aged, or even dead. The Distortions, warps in Time itself, were the only reason that the Sanctuaries remained safe from Hylians. The Seventh, thankfully, only had one and so Lanayru's blessing would protect him until he returned.

Skull Kid wriggled in excitement while Sheik adjusted to the present, looking around at what remained of the Seventh. It was little more than ruins now, a clearing guarded by two silent stone statues. The Grove had swallowed most of it.

Skull Kid grabbed his hand again and yanked him towards the statues, surprising him. Usually they went into the Grove itself, not to the Master Sword. It was a pretty thing to look at, but there was no other reason to approach it. Why was-?

Sheik stopped moving so quickly that Skull Kid nearly yanked his arm out of its socket. The arching doorway the Grove had not yet swallowed rose above him, a barrier to any wishing to approach the drowsing Master Sword.

The green-clad Hylian noticed the sudden violent movement, and spun quickly, the Master Sword glittering in his hand. Magic thrummed in the air, thick enough that Sheik could hear it, vibrations shaking throughout the Grove.

"What…" The word fell from numb lips and Sheik trailed off, too shocked to do much else. The Hylian wore a green tunic and tan leggings, leather gauntlets and a series of belts crisscrossing his frame. A variety of bags hung at his hip and a sheathed sword clung to his back. He had choppily cut blonde hair, sharply pointed ears and sapphire eyes that widened when they spotted him.

Beside the Hylian floated a creature the likes of which he had never seen before. Humanoid and unmistakably female, she wore an intricately carved stone helmet atop her head. Hair the color of fire spilled out of the back of it, her body contrasting sharply with complex patterns of black and grey runes.

The markings were familiar to him, although he couldn't read them.

"Who are you?" She demanded, lifting her chin and narrowing her eyes at him. He couldn't make his limbs respond, too mired in his shock.

The Hero was here.

"No." Sheik spun violently towards Skull Kid, terror taking hold of him, a sort of denial begging that he had it wrong, that this wasn't actually the Hero.

"She made me promise." Faron's construct said seriously, eyes downcast, voice timid.

"She's-" He couldn't continue. He stumbled away, back slamming into the stone arch as he collapsed to the ground, Malladus' shattering body reappearing before his eyes.

Veran was dying. She'd _known_ she was going to die. She'd _known_ the Hero was coming. For the second time, someone he loved more than anything had sacrificed their life for him. For the second time, he was helpless

"Get away from him!"

"Look, kid, thing, whatever you are-"

"No, get away from him now!"

Someone's hand touched his arm, and he snapped out of his shock. His eyes met blue, and for a moment he was beyond confused-he wasn't on his back, why was the sky there?

Hylian. Blue eyes. The Hero.

The Hylian jerked backwards with a sharp yelp as Sheik's dagger swept across the spot his throat had been in a second ago.

"I _told_ you!" Skull Kid muttered.

"_Don't touch me!_" Sheik hissed, keeping his weapon pointed at the Hylian. The Hero held his hands up, then seemed to realize he was still holding the Master Sword, and dropped it as if it was on fire.

"I'm not gonna hurt you! Calm down!"

"I would laugh, but he almost took you out." The fire-haired creature drawled, eyeing him warily as she floated closer. More than anything, Sheik wanted to deal with them at that moment-but Veran was in trouble, and he needed to go to her.

He whipped his blade at the Hylian and bolted for the Distortion's gateway, begging Lanayru to let Veran be alright, that he would do anything for her so long as she ensured Veran was alive.

Skull Kid cried out for him, and he heard the shouts of the Hylian and his companion, but Sheik paid them no mind. He slammed into the Distortion's door with all of his strength, the doors creaking beneath his weight as they ever-so slowly opened.

Somebody grabbed him before he could tumble head-first into the Seventh, and for that he was grateful because he no longer had any strength in his body at all. He crumpled, save the arm around his torso, his chest screaming in agony at the movement.

It was massive, larger than anything he had ever seen before. A colossal eye focused on something he couldn't see blinked on its back as its scent, spoiled flesh and death, suffocated him. Legs scrabbling across smooth marble, the arachnid jerked itself forward and grasped something in its jaws.

Sheik's mouth opened in a silent scream when he saw it was Veran.

She fought, driving blade after blade into the arachnid's mandibles as her lifeblood spilled onto the Seventh's floor, bones slowly crushing in the monster's grip. Her gaze lifted from the jaws devouring her, and locked on him. For the first time, agony crashed over her face.

"Alair-_run!"_

And then the jaws snapped shut, and Sheik watched as the life she had stolen bled from her body, eyes darkening, limbs shriveling until they were nothing more than mummified flesh clinging to crumbling bones. Satisfied, the arachnid turned and scuttled towards the room that housed the Master Sword's pedestal.

_Alair-run!_

It clambered up a wall and _through_ a stained glass window, one of the most ornate decorations in the entire Temple.

It was gone.

A cry, animal and broken, filled the Seventh. Sheik felt his cowl grow wet, but it didn't register that it was him who had made the noise, his tears that were wetting the cloth.

Veran was dead.

His mother was dead.

_Alair_…

She'd named him. Something that, by now, was impossible. Only his blood-parents could name him, and they were both dead-probably.

She'd named him.

"Sheik, you need to go. You can't-she made me promise! You have to leave!" It was Skull Kid, frantic and crying as it fought its way past whoever was holding him.

_Whoever was holding him?_

Sheik jerked free, spinning around as he yanked out another dagger. The Hylian again stumbled back, this time quicker, more fluid. This time, Sheik attacked. The Hero didn't have enough time to draw the Master Sword to block Sheik's weapon. He lifted a gauntleted arm, letting the blade glance off of the thick leather-enchanted, Sheik guessed. Sheik jumped backwards, drawing out another weapon before darting forward. His pause had given the Hero enough time to draw the Master Sword, but it was a larger weapon than a dagger and it took very little effort to weave around it.

Then there was something wrapped around him, pinning his arms at his side and wrenching his weapon from his grip. He was jerked off the floor, but rather than continue to fly, he was held in place, suspended by a magical force that was nearly suffocating in its intensity. The Hylian was likewise incapacitated, cursing as the Master Sword clanged to the ground.

"Now, I really don't care what trouble my Hero gets into, but if you try to kill him one more time, I'll be forced to kill _you_." It was the fire-haired creature, arms folded across her chest as she regarded him coolly.

Sheik replied with a flurry of Sheikah curses, pressing his own magic into that binding him until it splintered and crumbled, letting him fall to the ground.

"Hey!" She cried, indignant.

"Sheik…" Skull Kid crashed into him, still crying as the construct wrapped its arms around him, clinging to him tightly. He put a hand to the back of its head, his rage disappearing as quickly as it had arrived.

There was nothing left of Veran in the room they had spent the last thirteen years in, save the pool of stolen blood already dissolving as its magic fled to the Ninth. Her belongings lay untouched beside her bedroll, his own bundled neatly beside hers.

He could hardly feel his chest any longer, and he supposed that was a good thing as his resolve hardened within him.

"Explain yourself. Now." His tone surprised the Hylian's companion, but she showed it only for a minute. He saw her considering whether or not to patronize him, but her gaze went to the discarded weapons lying atop the marble below her and she seemed to think better of it.

"We came here for the Master Sword. Hyrule is being swallowed by Twilight, and we can't stop it without the sword. Although, now I think we'll be staying for something else I've been looking for."

"Midna-" The Hylian began, still wriggling against her grip.

"Couldn't you sense it? That skulltula-thing had a shard!" There was a growing excitement in her voice that surprised Sheik. Forgotten, he stood, letting Skull Kid perch on his shoulders, and began gathering up his belongings-and those that had belonged to Veran as well.

"How in the world do you know that?!"

"I told you, I can _sense _it! It's not like an animal smelling something or anything like that, it's magic calling out for magic! The shards _want_ to be reunited, so they're reaching out for magic like mine. Zant has to ignore the pull because he's trying to destroy Hyrule, but it'll help us because we're trying to _save_ it!"

Skull Kid watched him intently as he carefully packed away Veran's things into his own bag. Sheik kept one ear on the conversation between the Hylian and the creature, musing over what they were revealing.

He strapped on his bag and hid the rest of their-_his_-things behind a pillar and straightened, walking over to the Hero, heels silent as they struck marble.

"Show me." Both of them stopped arguing at his intrusion, and she spun to face him. The Hylian let out an irritated noise and her magic released him, sending him crashing to the ground.

"Show you what?"

"This…Twilight." The word was strange, unfamiliar on his tongue, and both of them noticed it. He wasn't entirely certain he'd pronounced it right, and Skull Kid's snickering told him he hadn't.

"Unless you want to ride out to-"

"No, no, I think I can. I've never done anything like this, though." She murmured, eyeing him intently, thoughtfully.

"Care to explain?" The Hylian sighed. She ignored him, falling deep into her magic as blue runes began to spark into existence around her. Black shapes, squares and rectangles, accompanied them, all glowing with a dusky inner glow.

It looked like Veran's magic had, imbued with more light than any Sheikah had ever handled before.

The shapes began to catch on one another's edges, forming a solid shape, a sort of mirror. He reached out with his own magic, letting her direct the flow.

Mostly what she did was show him the feel of the magic of Twilight, how comfortably it meshed with Hyrule's own magic. He was puzzled at first, at why they were so determined to stop it, until she showed him the source.

He never saw an image of what the source was, but it was a festering wound, corrupt and bleeding out magic not meant to exist on Hyrule. It was targeting every source of magic-

-Including the Ninth. Including Faron's Heart. Including Eldin's Fire.

Including his people.

He staggered away, sharply withdrawing himself from her magic as he began cursing for the second time that day.

"What was _that?"_ She seemed just as disoriented as he did. He checked his magic, the bindings Veran had meticulously worked at to guard his thoughts and mind from unwanted intrusion, and saw they were all in place. He hadn't let anything slip. So why was she affected?

"What happened?" The Hylian asked, hovering protectively over her as he stared at Sheik warily.

"Your magic-what was that? It-ugh, it's so _cold!_" She shuddered. Sheik didn't reply, simply climbed to his feet and walked over to where the Master Sword lay discarded. He doubted it would allow him to pick it up, so he kicked it over to the Hero, glaring coldly at the Hylian as he picked it up.

"Sheik…" Skull Kid grabbed Sheiks' bad arm, a painful reminder that this wasn't the time for a duel-not that he had anything to worry about.

"I should kill you now and be done with it."

"Are you insane? He's the Hero-"

"So was the last one!" Sheik shouted back, fists clenching. Her eyes widened in shock, seeming to at least partially understand what he'd meant, and he inwardly cursed, snapping his mouth shut. A thick, violent silence fell over them all for a moment.

"I _should_ kill you. Luckily for you, I need your blade."

"My what?" The Hylian asked, glancing at his companion.

"Only the Faron's Hero can slay the monsters that dwell in the Temples scattered across Hyrule, and only the Master Sword could cut through the evil infesting the land." The Hylian looked at him, confusion painted clearly across his face.

"I'm not the only one who can wield a sword. Rusl could kill the skulltula just as easily-"

"Faron created the creature to guard the Temple and ensure none but its caretakers and the Hero ever entered. The Master Sword is the only weapon that could ever inflict lasting harm to it."

"It will return soon, then." The Hylian's companion reasoned, floating closer to him.

"Not unless your presence disturbs it. You have posed no threat thus far."

"And the woman?"

Skull Kid flinched, eyeing Sheik closely. The Sheikah didn't move, just cast his ruby glare to the Hylian again.

"What year is it?" He asked, voice clipped. His question seemed to throw off the Hylian.

"…It's the five-hundredth since Din's Wrath."

"You don't know _anything_." Skull Kid grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.

"What are you-?"

"You think Eldin caused the Fracturing?" Sheik breathed aloud, shocked. He'd always known Hylians had a tendency to ignore the Goddesses, but to that extent? He shook his head and walked over to where the arachnid had vanished.

"Five centuries, Sheik!" Skull Kid chirruped, skipping after him.

"You should go."

"No."

"If Faron-"

"I don't leave friends. Especially with Hylians." Skull Kid said firmly, line of sight moving to the Hero.

"…And Veran would have wanted me to stay."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I am terrible at updating. I always forget I can here at school, Lol. Anyway, this be chapter two. I finally got over my writing block (yes!)...I have the next chapter done, not sure I'll update today though. I think I have to edit it a bit first, which I suck at because I'm lazy...**

**SO, ANYWAY, 'Silhouttes' by Of Monsters and Men + Pandora Hearts Retrace 92 = Sobbing. But I haven't been able to stop listening. Anyway, I think it's the song I'm thinking of. Currently listening to dj-Jo so I can't really concentrate but I think that's the song that I thought fit the story perfectly. If it isn't OM&amp;M it's probably something by Bring Me The Horizon? Not sure. Maybe I'll figure it out today. That would be awesome.**


	3. Shadow Trailing

Midna, being the traitorous little imp she was, disappeared into his shadow the moment the red-eyed man told him how to gain entrance to the Temple's inside, leaving him alone with a wooden child and a very angry stranger who had already tried to kill him-twice.

Link was not happy.

"Five hundred years…"

"Out of my way!" The high-pitched squeal startled all of them. Link spun around in time to see the red-eyed man hop backwards as a familiar bird-like creature bolted past them, a small blur tailing it.

"Hey, no! This is my Temple, not yours!" The wooden creature shouted, racing after them as it waved its fists. Link's eyes widened.

"Skull Kid-" The red-eyed man started after it, one hand outstretched.

He made a peculiar figure, every visible part of his body hidden beneath bandages save his face. He wore leather armor dyed a very dark blue-or, at least, Link assumed it was leather. It was smoother than it should have been. He wore a tabard over his chest with a black eye on it, a red tear leaking from below it. He had a mess of pale blonde hair tied back with the same white bandages into a long, thin braid except a tangle cut far shorter that hid his one of his eyes from view. Slender ears less pronounced than most Hylians poked out from beneath the strands. Some of the bandages had partially unraveled, revealing black hilts and silver blades secreted against his flesh. A cowl covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his eyes visible-the color of violence, of freshly spilt blood. Link had never seen a Hylian with red eyes, and he doubted he ever would again.

Link followed, turning the hilt of the Master Sword over in his hands distractedly as he did so.

"I've never seen anyone else at any of the Temples-Well, except for the Mines, but that was because Midna's hat is evil. Why are you here?" He asked, catching up to him. The man moved immediately, distancing himself from Link. If Link hadn't been expecting it he would have hardly noticed.

"I live…lived here." His sharp voice broke briefly, halting and hesitating, but his posture didn't. He continued striding along the dark passage, pace not so much as faltering. Like all Temples, the Temple of Time was lit with an unearthly glow, dim enough to let shadows swallow what was ahead but powerful enough to illuminate Link's immediate surroundings.

Link almost asked about the woman, but remembering his expression, he stilled his tongue.

"Why choose here? Ordon isn't that far from here, and Kakariko and Castle Town have plenty of room."

"New." Link blinked at him, confused.

"New what?"

"New Kakariko. New Castle Town. The settlements you speak of were not the first to bear those names."

"Really? How do you know?" Link asked, genuinely curious.

"….I was born in Kakariko." He hesitated before replying, but Link took it as a good sign that he'd replied at all.

"And it's still standing?" He couldn't imagine a town sturdy enough to exist even after Din's Wrath had destroyed almost all of Hyrule. Ordon had only existed for a couple of generations, as far as Link knew. Rusl's many times great grandfather had been the first settler, coming to Hyrule from Termina when the plains began drying up. Since, Ordon had been cut off from most everyone, until Rusl had left as a boy. It was Rusl who had forged ties with the Royal Family turned Ordon into an official town of Hyrule. Ordon was still nowhere near as old as five hundred, and every few years houses had to be repaired or, in bad weather, replaced.

_Maybe it was made of stone?_

The red-eyed man let out a snort, startling Link.

"It shouldn't be. The village isn't a Distortion and it's been a little over five hundred years."

"What do you mean by that? You and the…what'd you call it? Skull Kid?" He asked, frowning. The pair kept mentioning the time as if it was something incredibly important-and Link couldn't fathom why.

"Skull Kid is Faron's construct, the caretaker of this Temple."

"Shut up, Sheik!" Skull Kid's voice rang down the hall, shortly followed by a thump and an indignant shout. Link assumed it had caught up to Ooccoo, finally, although he couldn't say much. He couldn't count how many times he'd tried to catch the critter and failed , usually ending up in a crumpled heap by a wall or staircase.

"That still doesn't answer my question." He replied, looking at the red-eyed man beside him.

"_Sheik, I forgot to tell you-"_

And then something slammed into him, sending him crashing to the ground. Cold iron clamped around his throat, and Link's eyes widened as they tightened, crushing his windpipe.

His fingers clawed at whatever held him, but all he encountered was his own skin. He saw the red-eyed man standing there, absolutely still and regarding him silently with those violent, furious eyes of his. Midna materialized above him, shouting frantically as her blue-black magic swirled around her.

His vision began to grow dark, limbs slowing in their thrashing. He couldn't believe he was going to die _here_, being strangled by a creature he couldn't see while Midna-_No. _He wouldn't-he refused!-to die before helping her, before destroying the man that had destroyed her.

The back of his left hand began to burn, and a golden glow suffused the air. He could barely make it out, lungs screaming desperately for air, and-

-The red-eyed man lifted a hand and made a dismissive gesture. Suddenly Link could breathe again. The Triforce that marred his hand was still waking, drawing its power to strike at whatever had attacked him as he scrambled up. His lungs heaved as they drew in breath after breath of stale air, his gaze seeking his assailant.

"_Stop_-" The red-eyed man didn't finish what he was going to say, but positioned himself between Link and…something.

Half-hidden behind the coverings he wore or not, Link still recognized the red-eyed man's look. He'd had it when he'd tried to save Ilia and Colin that day in the spring, only a few months ago. Hatred, alarm, anxiety, and a terror that went far deeper than bone. Desperation in its purest form.

He'd never been good at controlling the Triforce unless he was in battle, but Link clumsily threw a number of mental bindings around it, drawing it back into the mark and sealing it up before it acted.

It wasn't pretty, and later Midna would have to help him fix it, but it did the trick. The power burst against its bindings, but he proved the stronger this time. The Triforce still got the last laugh, its magic healing the damage to his throat before it dropped into sleep again.

His surprise must have been obvious-the Triforce had never _ever_ acted in such a way before, and he had been injured far worse before, by things that he hoped were more terrifying than an invisible….something. He slumped against the wall, letting out an explosive breath while he prodded his throat. It terrified him how easily the Triforce had healed him with only a bare wisp of its power.

Midna had moved away when the golden glow began to emanate, but she returned the moment it died away. He knew it hurt her, light in its purest form, and didn't blame her. If she were to touch it, it could _literally_ destroy her.

She looked like she wanted to say something, to bark at both of them or demand an explanation. It seemed to drain out of her, though, as she stared between the two of them.

For his part, the red-eyed man didn't appear to trust either of them any more than he had before, although he _was _staring at Link strangely. Midna probably couldn't tell. She covered everything up with rage, so it had taken him a long while to be able to tell when she was feeling something other than hatred. This stranger was harder to discern, with the cowl and the hair and the fact he was _very_ good at staring coldly at him, but Link was confident he would eventually get it.

"...Who are the other Bearers?"

"What?" He sounded absolutely brilliant, but the question threw him.

"You hold a shard of the Triforce. That makes you a Bearer. There are three shards. Who hold the other two?" The patronizing was entirely intentional. Midna seemed offended that someone besides her was snapping at the Hero, and drew herself up as if to snap back when Link replied.

"Don't know. Princess…Well, technically, Queen…Anyway, Zelda has one. Wisdom. I don't know who has the other. Maybe it's still in the Sacred Realm?" Midna snorted in amusement.

"Sheik! Are you alright?" Skull Kid appeared, tackling the red-eyed man's legs. He looked down at it for a moment then slowly put a hand on its back for a moment, as if in comfort.

"What kind of name is that?" Midna interrupted. Link rolled his eyes at her tone-and why would she choose _that_ to mock him for, for Farore's sake?

"It isn't. But it's what you'll call him." Skull Kid's voice was just as sharp as Midna's had been ,if not more so.

"Is that what you want to be called?" Link asked, eyes flicking from the creature to the ruby orbs narrowed on Midna. The other man met his gaze sharply.

"It's what you will call me."

A silence fell over them, and Link realized the red-eyed man, Sheik, was clutching something to his chest tightly, obscuring his view of it.

"What attacked me?" He asked softly, tone serious as he sagged against the wall behind him. Sheik flinched for a moment, and visibly hesitated before slowly uncurling his fingers.

A small lantern made of black metal rested in his hands, glowing softly with navy and black light-Link hadn't thought it possible for black fire to give off light before he'd seen one of these for the first time, a Poe as it appeared to 'normal' people, just a lantern.

Fingers wrapped in white began to shift, black liquid spilling from them and onto the lantern as Sheik let out a soft hum-and for an instant, Link could see how the Poe would appear to his other form.

It glowed a dark blue rather than the luminescent color of its peers, black lines crisscrossing its frame. Its body was more fluid than others, more like Midna's in the fact it didn't have jerky, disjointed limbs save where its feet melded into the lantern that Sheik held so tightly. A long, slender scythe dangled lazily from its diminutive hands, made of smooth polished silver. Unlike its kin, it had eyes, silver with a murky center, and a ragged blue cloak with the hood drawn tightly over its face. Link avoided looking at the bloodstains on the fabric.

"What's wrong with it?" It was Midna who asked, her own magic sparking around her like a hundred tiny blossoms, winking out of existence as they reappeared elsewhere. It didn't hurt, but it sort of sizzled against his skin. By now he was familiar with the feel, but it still irritated him. When he was in his other form it wasn't noticeable. Midna had once told him it was because his other form was made of Twilight and his true form made of Light, so there were adverse reactions. He believed her-when he was in his other form and not in the parts of Hyrule that had been cursed by Zant he'd noticed an aching, a burning in his chest.

"Nothing. Our entrance woke her."

"Why did i-_she_ attack like that?" Link corrected himself just in time, something that slipped past the notice of Sheik.

"Poes come into existence in places where atrocities were committed, where violent deaths occurred. They are the remnants of souls too broken to pass on, too angry to let go. They become their own beings."

"But _why_ did it attack me? I mean, why not Skull Kid? Why not y-well, alright, maybe not you, and Midna hides in my shadow, but still!" To this, Link received only the cold, hostile look he was quickly becoming familiar with. The black stuff Sheik had poured over the lantern vanished, and so did the Poe.

"Why do you think?" Skull Kid retorted, voice filled with contempt as it tugged Sheik onward. Link hurried to catch up, feeling Midna slip back into his shadow as he did so-

-and without warning, they burst into the Temple itself.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"…So…" Sheik refused to look at the Hero as he bounced into his line of sight. They were waiting on Skull Kid while he tied skulltula hatchlings to his puppet strings, although the Hylian didn't know what he was doing. They'd been in the Seventh for a while now-he'd no idea how long.

"I've never seen a Hylian with red eyes before?" It came out more like a question, phrased awkwardly, but it still sent ice down Sheik's spine. He was leaning against the golden lattice that separated the circular hall from the skulltula-infested center.

The Poe had chosen a name now, Beth, and she slowly wound itself in circles around the Hero while Sheik slowly turned to face him, her confusion echoing Sheik's even as she discerned that he was not, in fact, lying. The Hylian's shadow batted at her occasionally, but Beth deftly wove around the half-hearted blows.

He didn't know whether to be relieved or angry. On one hand, he was pleased. His people were probably nothing more than faded myths, legends of demons with bleeding eyes and monsters unrestrained by death, which meant that very few, if any, would recognize what he was-because he _would_ leave the Seventh, and he _would _follow this ridiculous excuse for a Hero to ensure he survived long enough to slay the corruption.

On the other, he was furious. After everything they had endured, every torment and every death, the Hylians had just dropped them out of their lore? They were forgotten entirely, the services, the deeds, their _entire_ history living on in lost survivors, unless he was the last one. They had suffered, and not even _whispers_ remained of them?

The fire in Beth's lantern was growing darker, a sign his emotions were loosening control-Vern had been scrupulous in this binding, using their own magic to create a mutual contract that ensured neither could die while the other lived on. They kept their own minds, but their souls were too intertwined to separate-and his fury was bleeding into her.

It was a struggle to regain control of himself.

"I'm done!" Skull Kid declared, appearing beside him, looking extremely pleased to have something beside Hylian corpses to play with. Sheik forced himself to focus on his friend rather than the Hero, nodding to Faron's construct before silently walking onwards. He knew little of the Seventh, but Beth knew where to go and he followed her lead. Skull Kid, although it was technically the guardian of the Seventh, had never been inside.

"Where are we going now?" Link asked, bouncing up to his side for the second time.

"To get the Dominion Rod."

"The _what_?"

"It's a…really old artifact. Veran stole it and I stole it from her and Majora said to put it here so I did except the cucco was the person Veran stole it from so-"

"Skull Kid…"

Faron's construct had the decency to look abashed. The Hero frowned, but said nothing.

Link bounced ahead when they approached the door they needed, inserting a key they'd found earlier into the lock hanging on the door. It took a few minutes to unravel the lock and its chain from the door handle, during which Sheik secured Beth's lantern to his hip. Her scythe swished in the air when the Hylian jumped back triumphantly, jerking the door open as he did so.

"There's something up ahead." Skull Kid murmured, tugging at its hat.

"It'd be disappointing if there wasn't." The Hylian replied cheerfully, vanishing inside. Sheik stared after him for a moment, then sighed and followed. He readied a dagger for throwing. He couldn't understand how such a reckless boy had survived Temples previous to this, even _with_ the shadow's help. He was a skilled fighter, yes, and he wielded the Master Sword and the Triforce of Courage, but that only went so far. He had no sense of caution whatsoever-and that irked Sheik more than he'd like to admit.

"Hey, look! A dead guy!" Sheik's eyes picked out the slumped pile of bones and armor after he heard the Hylian's cry. Magic swirled around it, lifting and knitting things together.

"Darknut." Sheik corrected, frowning at him.

"That's a ridiculous name." The Hylian replied, eyeing the creature before them as it rose to its full height. It was heavily armored, a massive sword in its grip as it slowly turned its head to regard the two of them with skeletal eyes.

Sheik couldn't tell what soul had been bound to its form, but he still skirted around it, staying behind the Hero.

"It isn't a name."

"Then what is it?"

"A title for Hylians who betray the Goddesses' Sanctions." The Hero stopped and whirled to face him, blue eyes wide.

"He committed _sacrilege_?"

"_Turn around_!" Sheik shouted, furiously sending a dagger flying at the Darknut as it lunged forward, massive blade ready to cleave the Hero in half. In a ridiculously agile display, the Hylian dove to the ground and rolled away just in time to miss his death. The Darknut ignored Sheik's blade and it skittered ineffectually across its armor.

Sheik's gaze tracked the Darknut as it flexed its shoulders, bending and twisting slowly but purposefully. It wasn't sparing a single movement, but it couldn't hide its weakness from two sets of eyes-four, if one counted Skull Kid and the shadow, but Faron's construct was playing with his newly acquired puppets in a corner and ignoring them, and the shadow hadn't reappeared since they'd entered the Temple.

The Darknut's armor was ancient, and had been for centuries. It was rusted and dappled with wear, once grand etchings all but invisible. The heavy armor was held together by corroding leather, discernible through gaps between metal on its back.

Sheik only saw it for a second, but before he could say anything, it spun around, its blade seeking his flesh. It was only thanks to Beth's warning that he managed to get far enough away to avoid the blow.

"Why is it attacking-?" The Hero asked, darting forward and slashing at the Darknut's back. His words ended in a grunt as a heavily armored elbow crashed into his face, sending him crashing to the ground.

"What sin do you think cursed it?" Skull Kid retorted, voice carrying clearly.

The most unnerving thing, Sheik decided, was that besides the clank of armor, the Darknut made no sound as it turned to face him. Link's blow had sent the armor around its waist partially to the ground, and it dangled at the Darknut's feet awkwardly. It was the only thing that saved Sheik's life when it launched itself at him.

He saw it coming and readied himself, another blade at his fingertips, when something latched onto his magic and _pulled_.

It was a ball of diseased rot, burning its way into his own core as it shredded his power. He screamed out hoarsely, barley feeling the Darknut's blade as it burst through his stomach.

He fought, Beth fought, but in the end it was a streak of ivory-gold light that ended it, driving through the Darknut's heart. Sheik's writhing magic tore through the weakened Darknut's, and it crumpled, ash and bone to the Seventh's floor.

"_Sheik!"_

His surroundings blurred. He was barely aware of falling, or of the Hero grabbing him and dragging him over to a wall, of stone against his spine. Veran's protective spells were fighting against the Darknut's infection, giving him enough of a break to muster his strength and attack it, pushing it out. Beth took care of it once it was separate from him, destroying the flakes of corruption.

He was dimly conscious of blood pumping over his stomach, his thighs, his fingers, soaking the stone beneath him. Veran's power encircled the center of his core, and his eyes flickered open.

Hylian eyes met his and while he sought a blade immediately, his fingers didn't so much as twitch. His head felt light, and he was barely able to focus on the Hero's movements. Skull Kid appeared, dancing frantically behind the Hylian, as did the shadow. It was the Hylian that touched him, though, removing his numb hands from his wound and unwinding bandages.

He couldn't understand why the Hero wasn't driving the Master Sword through his chest.

Veran's magic expanded, crushing the Darknut's infection. Sheik screamed again, body jerking as his essence was stretched far too thin, Lanayru's name escaping from him in a strangled jumble of syllables-

-and something tasting sharp, sweet, tangy, splashed against his tongue, ran down this throat. He fought, terror taking hold of him-_poison!-_

-Cerulean magic spilled across his core, cloaking Veran's blessings as well. The infection sizzled against it and vanished. Exhaustion crashed over him as Lanayru's magic expanded, sealing Beth's soul and his own in a diamond of safety.

Veran's magic, worn, fell silent as it retreated, vanishing into his wounded core as holy magic encased him.

"_….Sheik….!"_

**XXXXXXXXX**

**Why can't I be nice to my characters? Because there's no fun in that~**

**At this point this story is thirty two pages long and I just finished chapter four. *Sigh***


	4. Shadow Spinning

He knew he was dreaming, knew that wherever he was, he was crying, but he didn't mind. Veran's presence, Malladus' presence, was too comforting.

The dream was like most he had, composed of vague emotions, magic, sensing another nearby. He saw neither of his parent's faces, but he knew they were close, and his heart broke beneath the weight of his grief.

They fell away slowly as awareness crept in, leaving him weightless, floating. Beth was slumbering still, leaving only a faint warmth at the back of his mind as a sign of her presence. He could have broken the spell with a push of will, but he remained like that, distant, while he let himself adjust.

The Sheikah were not, as most Hylians had considered them, emotionless. Their magic was intimately tied with their emotions, and they learned at a young age to deal with it. To not control it could lead to the Ninth shattering, unleashing its hordes and breaking Hyrule beyond what the Fracturing had done.

He did not have the time to do that then. Instead he gathered up his pain, his hatred, his terror, his horror, his grief, and pushed it as far away as he could. He lingered for a moment, allowing himself to mourn for as long as he dared.

He felt tears dripping down his cheeks, spilling from his closed eyes, and he forced them open.

Disoriented, he could do nothing but stare until he processed the situation.

Skull Kid was nowhere in sight, but the Hero was sitting cross-legged some distance away from him, sapphire eyes anxious as they tracked his. The shadow hovered by his head, staring at something Sheik couldn't see. They were both dyed blue, though, which confused him to no end-until he realized why.

Lanayru's blessing had blossomed and pushed the infection out of his magic, his soul, and protected his body as well. They were trapped outside of her blessing.

But how had it gotten so strong? And why-

_Veran_.

His hands trembled and it took every bit of his will to move them, but he unstrapped his bag and ponderously shifted through her belongings, moving scrolls and weapons and a variety of trinkets out of the way before finding what he sought.

The diamond emanated a soft cerulean glow, the Bleeding Eye painted in ebony and crimson across its heart. Beside it lay a ruby, the Gerudo's ancient symbol painted in gold across its surface, inert and lightless.

"Lanayru…can I trust him?" The words came out in Sheikah, flowing from his tongue like liquid silver despite his lethargy. The diamond pulsed gently, a heartbeat in sync with his own, and the protecting wall faded out of existence.

It stung, that she so readily defended the Hero, but he pushed that away too.

He closed the bag but couldn't do much else besides remember he had been run through and tilt his head down to look at the wound.

Blood had congealed on the floor in a large, stretching puddle. His fingers were sticky with it, and he couldn't tell where the Bleeding Eye's blood ended or his began. Armor had been crushed, but someone-the Hero, probably-had managed to partially unwind his bandages. It would leave a nasty scar in its wake.

The Hylian dropped down beside him, heedless of the blood smearing across his clothes. Sheik didn't have the strength to so much as flinch as the Hero finished unwinding his bandages or even help in removing his tabard. He worked in silence, and Sheik's gaze roamed until he found Skull Kid solemnly inching closer to them, avoiding the pool of Sheik's blood.

"Why didn't the potion work?" The Hero's voice shook, and Sheik realized that he was scared, face colorless and eyes wide. _Had he never seen blood before?_ Doubtful, but…not impossible. Or was there another reason?

Skull Kid still danced anxiously at the other end of the room, golden eyes dark with worry.

"…Potion?" It was a tremendous effort to speak, let alone in Hylian, but he managed.

"Red liquid. Heals you creatures incredibly fast-Link broke both his legs and I gave him a bottle after setting the bones, by the time the sun set he'd healed up entirely."

Understanding dawned on him as the shadow rambled on tensely.

"Light." It came out as little more than a croak.

"What?"

"Poison to us. All that light…magic."

Distantly, he noted the shadow tense.

"You're poisoned?!"

"…No." Sheik couldn't speak any longer. He fell silent, eyes seeking out Skull Kid's and silently asking it to explain.

"He's not….He was born full-blooded. Malladus and Veran changed him, though, so it won't poison him. But you'll have to leave him and come back on your way through. If you don't die." Skull Kid said haltingly, still inching around the ever-widening pool of blood.

"Then how do we stop it?!"

"Darknut…Ash." Sheik croaked, closing his eyes as a wave of dizziness swept over him. Skull Kid understood and scampered off. The Hero focused on trying to staunch the bleeding.

Dully, Sheik realized his chest was still throbbing. The pain from his wound was abstract, a sort of heavy presence he knew he should feel more strongly but didn't. His heartbeat, thundering against his ribcage, amplified the throbbing of Veran's work, though.

Skull Kid came back sooner than Sheik had thought it would, silvery-grey dust trailing from its clasped fingers as it bolted for him. Faron's construct screeched a prayer at the top of its lungs as it neared Sheik's blood, the magic lifting him above the blood until he landed on Sheik's knees-the only part of his legs not covered in the red substance. He didn't have the energy to reprimand the creature-Skull Kid was forbidden from touching the blood of any race besides Hylian and had called on Faron's magic to reach him when passing it to the Hero would have done just as well.

Skull Kid dumped the ashes directly onto his wound and then fled, clambering onto the Hero's shoulders as it regarded him with wide, terrified eyes.

Beth woke instantly, fire bursting to life in her stained lantern.

Sheiks' entire body spasmed violently with agony as his flesh began to heal. The Hero jerked back, eyes wide with shock as the injury sealed up. Sheik's jaw clenched to keep from making a sound and his teeth snapped through his tongue. Bone snapped back into place-Sheik hadn't been aware he'd broken anything-and organs shifted around. Muscle crept over the mess and, moments later, skin followed. As quickly as the magic had taken hold of him, it was gone-leaving only a red scar and the aching in his chest behind. The wound to his tongue was gone, though blood still ran down his chin and soaked his cowl. He slumped lower to the floor, nearly toppling over.

His vision darkened and, when it cleared, he found the Hero prodding at his stomach.

"_Hey!"_ The Hero let the cry out when Sheik slapped his hand away and Skull Kid hit the Hylian over his head.

"You don't touch a Sheikah! Ever!"

"You just-"

"_I'm_ not a Hylian!"

Sheik pushed himself up, letting out a sigh as the Hylian stared at Skull Kid, flabbergasted. He was weak and tired, but he wasn't bleeding any longer. And the ash-there wasn't any sort of rot residue in it at all. How was that possible?

He was still tired, but the ash was powerful, and had restored most of the blood he'd lost. It lacked the evil the Darknut had let fester within its soul.

He staggered and swayed dizzily before catching his balance with Beth's aid. The Hero jumped up, wincing when Skull Kid grabbed tufts of his hair. The shadow scowled at him and vanished.

"Go. I will follow." A heavy silence met his request.

"You should kill it." Sheik opened his eyes to stare at the Hero, surprised.

"She was your mother, wasn't she? Or close to it? You should kill it." There was a sort of steel behind his sapphire eyes that Sheik was unfamiliar with, something old and something the Hylian meant with every word, every bone in his body.

Despite Lanayru's assurance, he still wondered what game the Hylian was playing at.

"If I sought revenge for Veran's death, I would finish what your people started and murder every survivor in all of Hyrule, and then cut the heart out of every Hylian. Maybe I would even seek to slay Faron herself." Sheik sighed, running a bloody hand through his bangs as he scooped up his bag and retied it to his side.

"I wouldn't object to killing the Goddess or Hylians, but Veran sought to stop the slaughter. It would be…detrimental…to continue it when even a Bearer has no idea what happened." His voice was barely above a whisper, and he knew his words chilled the Hero.

"I'm glad." Skull Kid announced, propping its hands on its hips.

"Why is that?" Sheik asked, a lazy smile touching his lips, unseen. He already knew the answer. Skull Kid was bound to Faron's service and as such, would slay any who posed a threat to the Goddess, no matter who they were.

"'Cause you're my friend. And Majora likes you too." At the mention of the mask, Skull Kid inwardly brightened, and fell silent, nodding its head to words no one else could hear.

"Go, Hero. I will eventually catch up to you."

"You're healed now, right?" He pressed, ignoring Sheik's request. The shadow again appeared, leaving Sheik wondering just how uncomfortable the Hero's shadow was.

"Physically."

"Then-"

"He's tired." It was the Hero's shadow that spoke, studying Sheik with narrowed eyes.

"Lanayru didn't bless me with magic, she blessed me with her spell. It was my own that fueled it. Beth has enough left to heal her own injuries, and I would hesitate to draw on her resources so quickly after she woke anyway. I will be a liability." He replied, closing his eyes briefly and leaning against the wall behind him.

"He's right." The shadow said, spinning around and floating off. The Hero glared at her, and promptly sat down again.

Sheik considered telling the Hylian he was further soaking his clothes in blood, but dismissed it. He doubted the Hero wasn't aware of it already.

"Then we'll wait."

"You-"

"I'm not leaving you." The finality in the Hero's voice left Sheik no room to argue, and with a sigh, Sheik sank back down, picking up his blood-stained clothes. He wished he had the strength left to argue. His gaze met Skull Kid's, a silent question within his eyes. Skull Kid nodded in reply-it'd watch the Hylian for him while he slept, to make sure nothing happened.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sheik, Link learned, slept like the dead. Entirely motionless, chest barely moving, waking every time Link moved only to fall back into a deep sleep seconds after deciding he posed no threat.

It was unnerving.

Midna, being the nag she was, told him a number of times he was ruining his clothes, but Link figured if Sheik wouldn't move, he wouldn't. And anyway, he'd been soaked to the bone in blood before, although _most_ of the time it wasn't his _or_ Hylian.

Maybe ten minutes had passed before Link realized the pool of stagnant blood was shrinking.

Flakes of rusty red began to lift off of the ground, vanishing like Twilight did when it saturated the land. The process was slow, creeping in from the edges of the wide pool. Skull Kid seemed to enjoy it, but Link figured that was because it could get closer to Sheik than anything to do with the Temple being _clean._ Well, clean-_er_.

Was Sheik made of magic, like the Light Spirits? Or was he like Zelda, with her peculiar magic? He hadn't scented Sheik in his other form, but he had a gut feeling that his scent would be like Zelda's, so infused with something otherworldly that it made him sneeze almost uncontrollably. It had irritated Zelda to no end, and Link had a nagging suspicion it would annoy Sheik too.

As it had turned out, he was allergic to powerful magic. Except for Midna. Midna claimed it was because she got power from a different source than Zelda, one that he was more closely linked with than Zelda's.

"Link?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't think he'll kill you, but I don't trust him." Link sighed as he turned his head to look up at Midna. She said this about everyone who offered their help-although, Jovani was one that Link could understand. He wasn't certain collecting the Poe souls for the golden man would be the wisest course of action.

"You know how much I hated you when we started out on this quest? You know _why_?"

"Link-"

"Because you are, and I mean this with all the love I have, an ass. You knew what happened to Colin and Ilia, and you taunted me with that. You knew what I'd lost and used it against me and didn't even try to disguise that. And you didn't tell me anything in response."

"You couldn't talk. You're a mutt." She sniffed, rolling her eyes at him.

"Doesn't matter. You know how I acted. He's been through worse, and endured it longer. Be nice, alright? And don't scare him, please. I won't try to introduce you to Telma and her friends again." Link added, hoping the incentive would be enough.

"They already think you're insane and I don't _have_ to leave your shadow."

"I bet he could tell me how to kick you out of it."

"I'd hide in that girl's shadow. What was her name? Ashei? That would be wonderful. You're so straight. I have _curves_. I miss the room." She drawled, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at the swath of shadow stretching out behind him.

"_Midna!"_

"You have your body back. I don't. It's like being unable to stretch far enough. Do you think you can take the next Temple by yourself? Stop by Castle Town after this so I can get into her shadow."

"And what'll I do then?"

"It's called a vacation. Zant thinks Zelda and I are dead and you're a mutt. I know him. He'll want to celebrate, relax. We can afford it." It was very unusual to hear her say something of that sort. She was so focused on revenge, on retribution, that he had only gone back home four times in the year since Zant's invasion had begun.

Midna's eyes were less fiery than they usually were, almost…blue.

Pieces neither woman had chosen to share with him fell into place. Zelda had abandoned her body, and with it probably the entire power of the Triforce, to hide inside Midna. Why? Had Zant been torturing her? No, there had been no scent of blood there, and she'd been unmarred.

Then why? Why do something so ridiculously stupid? To leave the tower she'd been locked in without worrying over civilian deaths for a time?

It spoke volumes for his opinion of her that he almost believed that.

"He's very lazy, for a domineering overlord." Link commented, stretching his arms over his head. Whether Midna was in control or not, he was still grateful for the topic change. Midna had no qualms about complaining about _anything_ and less of a filter than Malo, and she didn't care whether it embarrassed him or not. He couldn't wait to get her a female friend she could talk to, because those sorts of conversations were growing alarmingly frequent.

He turned to look at Sheik, a half-formed idea bubbling up within him. Thankfully, the red-eyed man appeared fully awake, shifting and blinking slowly at them as he sat up.

"Can the ghost talk? The one you've got with you?" There was a long silence, the kind Link often gave Midna when she was being annoying and he wasn't awake yet.

"…Beth? I don't know if she'll talk to you." His response was slow and still very tired, but more awake than he'd been before. Link attributed his openness to that.

"Midna, you should say hello to her." Link informed her, turning to look up at her. Midna snorted and replied with an offensive gesture, any hint of blue in her eyes entirely gone.

"Are you ready?" Link asked Sheik, returning his gaze to the red-eyed man. Sheik was slowly testing his injury, stretching and eyeing it skeptically.

"Skull Kid…?"

"Majora did it!" The creature declared, looking up at them with wide eyes from across the room.

"Will it hold?"

"What are they talking about?" Link asked nobody in particular.

"I assume the dust stuff." Midna replied, wandering over elsewhere.

"Majora said it would."

"And Majora is an expert about this?" Link's eyes widened and he jerked his head around to look at Skull Kid-something told him insulting this 'Majora' was a very bad idea. The little being had its hands on its hips and eyes narrowed.

"Majora knows your cousins."

Surprisingly, Sheik seemed to accept this. Link scooted himself around to offer the red-eyed man some privacy as he began dressing, figuring it would help if Sheik re-hid his weapons and was entirely certain Link had no idea where they were.

"…Hero?"

"Yeah?"

"How long have I been asleep?"

"A couple of hours."

"You spent the entire time sitting in a puddle of blood, not even bothering to go check the chest I almost died liberating from a Darknut?" Link decided he preferred Sheik half out of his wits with blood-loss. Even if he could barely stand the sarcasm.

"There's a-? Oh, yeah, I was kind of wondering why the knight thing was in here." Link confided, scrambling up and skidding his way over to the object.

He heard a multitude of sighs from behind him.

Inside the chest was a silver and blue rod looking a lot like a mace in one of the books Shad had showed him once, except that the plated protrusions were hollow and there was a space in between for an effervescent greenish orb.

"Is this the rod of whatever?" He asked, turning around and rejoining Sheik. He handed it to the red-eyed man, which seemed to surprise him for a moment. Sheik hesitantly accepted it, nodding.

"The Dominion Rod. Yes."

"Do you know what it does?"

"It animates statues."

"I am not familiar-"

"If you hit a statue with it, it will make the statue mimic your every movement as closely as it can."

"You're going to have a headache by the time we leave the room if you let his stupidity bother you that much." Midna informed him, vanishing into Link's shadow.

"I resent that." Link declared, taking the rod from Sheik carefully. He hated using objects like this, ancient and looking like they could break with a flick of his wrist. He'd almost done as much, to the outrage of the Great Fairy of Winds residing within the Gale Boomerang.

He doubted her anger would hold a candle to Sheik's, if he broke the Dominion Rod, though.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**So. Holy crap. Got done rewriting what I had and was updating the chapters on here and went, 'hey...I've like, two chapters to upload!' So, hope you enjoy~!**

**Sorry for the long wait, seriously. Discovered what Night Vale was, and got writers block.**


	5. Shadow Defeating

"Hey, Sheik?" The question, posed hesitantly, almost made him stiffen. For the past hour the Hero had been fairly quiet, although it was obvious he was moping. Sheik had begun to hope it would last.

He'd never been one for idle chatter, never mind with an enemy, and that was something the Hylian excelled at. Sheik had told him to stop talking before they'd left the Darknut's room, to the shadow's amusement, and until then the Hylian had listened.

"What?" His voice was sharp, curt.

"Will you tell a story?" The flurry of keese flying down the staircase at them didn't surprise Sheik as much as the Hylian's question. He didn't respond, but stepped out of the way and nodded his head at the screeching bat things. The Hero obeyed, dropping the Dominion Rod and throwing a boomerang echoing with Faron's magic at them. Sheik watched the Hylian's technique, frowning softly to himself.

It was absolutely abhorrent. There were undoubtedly some moves that only an advanced swordsman could use, but he was all over the place, obviously self-taught, and Sheik couldn't count the number of times he could have slain him.

Still, the Hylian managed to kill all of the keese without injuring himself, which Sheik supposed was a good thing.

"So?"

"So what?" Sheik's head still ached from blood loss, a faintness he couldn't seem to rid himself of. He could handle himself well in a battle, but all of the talking was making it worse.

"Will you tell a story?" The Hero sighed, waving the boomerang at him as if trying to be threatening.

"We are making our way through an ancient building infested with dangerous monsters that hasn't been properly entered in centuries, and you can't hold a sword properly. Concern yourself with staying alive."

A beat of silence fell between them, Sheik's gaze unwavering and the Hero's eyes narrowing.

"I will keep talking. And I won't stop. 'Till the end of the Temple and I won't stop then, either." It was incredible how threatening the Hero made that sound. Sheik looked at Skull Kid, but the creature seemed just as taken with the idea as the Hero did.

When Sheik's shoulders slumped, the Hero cheered.

Sheik ransacked his mind, seeking out a story he could tell without betraying anything he didn't want the Hero to know. Eventually he settled on Malladus' tale, one that he'd had Veran tell him every night for weeks after his death.

Sheik ignored the aching in his chest as best he could.

"The world is far larger than just Hyrule, as you _should_ know. There are other countries, other gods, other monsters. In the time before the races you know existed, the only living things were beings made of the remnants of the power that had created the world, and the Goddesses, who still resided within Hyrule. One of these other creatures came to them. He sought companionship, for in his country he was the only living being, and believed the Goddesses could grant him that."

He cast a glance at his companions out of the corner of his eye, half expecting to see the Hero yawning already. Skull Kid was bouncing with excitement beside the Hylian, who was watching him intently as he guided a massive statue with the Dominion Rod.

Sheik, wisely, gave up any hope that they would let him be.

"This being, a demon wielding power to rival Faron's, the weakest of the Goddesses, begged them to bring life to the land. Faron flung an arm to the lush forests and grasslands she had created and demanded what else the demon could possibly want, believing her gift to be all the demon and his kin needed. Eldin ordered him to tell her what he thought he was, to dare speak to the Goddesses themselves, to dare demand something of them. Seeing neither would aide him, the demon turned to Lanayru and pleaded his purpose seconds before Eldin cast him from Hyrule."

Sheik paused for breath seconds before a loud crash jarred his bones. He turned sharply to see the statue the Hero had been leading crash into a wall. The Hero dropped the Rod-Skull Kid caught it, thank Lanayru-and flinched violently. With a sigh, Sheik walked over and took the Rod from Skull Kid, casting the orb and manipulating the statue back into the center of the hall.

"If you break the Dominion Rod-"

"Yes, yes, I know, I know. Will you please continue with the story?"

"You just-"

"You do it!"

"I don't trust you or your skills enough to rely on you to defend me or Skull Kid while I babysit _your_ statue. You're the Hero, you can do it yourself." He snapped back, tossing the Rod back to the Hero. The Hylian scrambled to grab it, and despite his obvious terror of shattering the artifact, he still scowled at Sheik.

"Yeah, Hero. Story or statue!" Skull Kid chimed in, seemingly delighted in the events. Both men glared at it, something it was impervious too. After a moment Link sighed and cast the Rod's light at the statue.

"...The demon feared his cause lost, and resigned himself to madness. But Lanayru, in her wisdom, saw that the world was barren and that the beings borne of her and her sister's fragmented power would fade into madness. And so she quietly blew upon the embers the demon had stoked, igniting the desire to create within her sisters. Faron was the first to succumb to the desire. She tore time, the element that made her plants alive, and planted the seeds of it into figures of earth fashioned in her image, breathing life into them. These were the first Hylians, with ears shaped to catch the Goddesses whispers and souls forged of time itself." The Hero eyed him carefully while he performed a strange sort of dance, guiding the statue after him.

"Eldin sneered at Faron's creation and took a great handful of earth from a sprawling desert, shaping it into a form reminiscent of theirs. She took a piece of the sun that burned high above and placed it in the heart of the figure and gifted it with a tongue sharp enough to fulfill her commands. This was the first Gerudo, a man who spoke the Goddesses' will and built of strength itself. Lanayru praised both her elder and younger sisters' wisdom and borrowed both of their ideas, knowing that doing so would truly make them feel as if the idea was their own. She took a handful of dark, loamy earth and fashioned a man and a woman, smaller than her sister's creations. Lanayru then grasped the blackest shadow she could see, pressing it into each of the bodies. Finally, unseen by her sisters, she imbued within them truth, so that they would always see past illusions and deceptions, for she intended for them to protect the Hylians and Gerudo. As such, the first Sheikah breathed." Sheik let out a deep breath as they emerged into the main room of the Seventh. His voice was beginning to hurt, his throat aching with the strain of talking for so long, coupled with the physical exertion it had taken to get there. The Seventh had not been designed to be easy to go through, and while Sheik could circumnavigate most of the traps, the Hero couldn't, not with the statue. The only reason they had managed was because of an ingenious system of spelled bells that could transport it from parts that could not be accessed otherwise-the statue couldn't manage stairs.

The Hero performed a strange sort of shuffle-walk as he led the statue to its place. It puzzled Sheik, until he realized it was probably unconsciously done, trying to make it easier for the statue. Sheik couldn't see any difference between how it moved then and before, but he refrained from commenting.

A note rang out when the statue had settled in, releasing a gate. The Hero laughed aloud, collapsing against the statue as he ran a hand through his hair. Sheik stretched his arm, casting his gaze around the entrance suspiciously as he inched closer.

"You can't seriously think it's been trapped, can you?"

"This is no Sheikah ruin." Skull Kid pointed out, sidling up to the Hylian. Sheik scowled, unseen, at both of them.

"We do not have ruins."

"Majora says that half-bloods did too! Your Temple was one of them!" Skull Kid retorted.

"I'm not a half-blood."

"You're close." It countered smugly. The Hylian was listening keenly to the proceedings, eyes flickering between the two of them with interest plain on his features. Sheik shot Skull Kid a frustrated, warning glance, realized that they had said too much. A tense silence fell over them.

"I thought I extorted a story out of you. I haven't heard an ending yet!" The Hero finally burst out, surprising Sheik and eliminating the tension.

"…I don't-"

"I know what the end of a story is. Now come on! We need a break-well, _I_ need a break-anyway, so you can finish it then we'll go kill the skulltula thing. Please?"

It was the Hero's 'please' that caught Sheik off-guard more than his tone. The Hero might have acted ridiculously scatter-brained, but he was no fool. Another sigh, another slump of the shoulders, and another cheer from the Hero echoed throughout the room. Sheik settled cross-legged on the floor where he stood.

"...Other lesser gods followed the sister's example, birthing beings that inhabited other countries-the Anouki, a quiet people who live far beneath the surface of frozen ice, the Minish, a race of diminutive masters of disguise…hundreds of others. Within an age, the world was bursting with life…But still, the demon's land remained devoid of life. For a second time, he decided to seek the Goddesses' aide." Sheik paused folding his hands together on his lap for lack of something else to do before he continued.

"As the demon entered Hyrule, he encountered Hylians for the first time. They fled before him, crying out in terror. The demon was confused, but he continued nonetheless. He encountered Gerudo, fierce warriors of the desert, but they too fled his presence, shooting arrows at him from afar. None of these pierced the demon's thick hide, and he continued without returning the barrage, knowing it would offend Eldin. Finally, as he neared the grove the Goddesses rested in, he came across the Sheikah. Unlike the Hylians, they did not flee. Unlike the Gerudo, they only drew their weapons, rather than attack. This made the demon pause.

"'Who are you?' the demon asked, lowering his head to better speak with them. He regarded them curiously, wondering why the Goddesses would create something of shadow, silent with eyes the color of freshly spilt blood. One among them stepped forward, a woman differing from her kin only in that she did not cover her face.

"'We are the Sheikah, servants of Goddess Lanayru and guardians of Hyrule and its people. Who are you, who threatens our charges?' she replied, walking forward until she stood before the demon." Sheik didn't realize his eyes were closed until the Hero called his name. His eyes opened in time to see the Hylian tossing something at him. Furious shock ran through him-he should have known, shouldn't have relaxed-

A canteen skittered across the ground towards him, falling short by a few feet. Sheik was almost on his feet, throwing needles pressed between his fingertips and the marble of the floor. The Hero seemed horrified, hands up and empty.

"I didn't mean to-"

"Drop it." Sheik snapped, tucking his weapons away as he stood. He avoided the canteen as he strode pas the Hero, leading the way to the Seventh's heart without a further word.

It wasn't embarrassment that made him so furious, it was his own inability to protect himself. If the Hylian's throw had been any more powerful he could have been dead. And to tell Malladus' story to a stranger-a _Hylian_ no less! Why hadn't he been focusing on what he was doing?

Blood loss, he realized. His magic was nothing more than shadowy wisps at this point, having immediately gone to transmuting the ash. What was in his veins at that moment was little more than pure magic, draining his already tapped reserves. It was a dangerous practice and Veran had told him enough tales of Sheikah gone mad for keeping it going for too long for him to know he couldn't keep it up indefinitely. He would have to rest properly soon.

But the effects consisted of heightened, not dulled senses. Why had he opened his mouth, then? He knew the Hylian was dangerous.

The only explanation he could think of was that Lanayru was interfering. He had absolute faith in her wisdom and trusted her without reserve, but to lower his guard here? With a Hylian-and a Hero at that?

He snapped his thoughts away as he came to a stop in front of a massive ornately decorated door, spinning sharply on his heel to look at the Hylian.

"Beyond this door is the arachnid. Kill it."

"I still think you should." The Hero said firmly, voice soft. Sheik shook his head harshly.

"Kill it." He repeated, not bothering to hide the venom in his voice as he stepped out of the way, circling behind the Hylian as the Hero stepped forward and began working at the lock that held the door shut. Skull Kid lurked behind them, clutching a heart-shaped mask to its chest tightly. Sheik was vaguely surprised he hadn't noticed Majora's entrance.

"Faron." Skull Kid said gravely, the weight of the centuries the small creature had seen heavy in hits voice. Displeasure darkened Sheik's eyes, but he nodded his thanks for the warning and turned to face the Hylian just as he freed the door.

Faron was watching them.

"You have different names for the Goddesses than we do." The Hero declared, studying them both critically before vanishing inside. Skull Kid giggled and skipped after him, leaving Sheik standing alone in the hall.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Midna emerged from his shadow the moment they entered the skulltula's room, surprising Link. She put one hand on his chest, effectively stopping him in his tracks with the weight of her magic.

"Where's the Rod?" He lifted it up and let it dangle from his fingertips for as long as he dared before tucked it away. This ritual was an old one and not entirely ridiculous. It infuriated Midna that he forgot things so easily, and she'd started checking shortly after he'd forgotten his sword when entering the Forest Temple.

"Sword?" He wordlessly grasped the hilt of the Master Sword-he still couldn't fully believe he was holding the fabled artifact-and drew it.

"Do not piss this…creature…off. I don't know what he is capable of but I know he could kill both of us, even with the Fused Shadows helping me. They sing when he comes near, like the artifacts of old did when they came near their creator, and I don't like it. Kill the monster and leave and if _you look back_-" She stabbed a finger into his forehead with each word to accentuate her point, "-I will strangle you. Be careful." Midna's voice was soft and calm, which upset Link all the more. Anxiety wasn't that big of a problem for him, but something about Midna trying to remain calm terrified him more than words could express.

"You're not afraid of skulltulas, are you?" Link asked slowly, glancing behind her. She spun around as if expecting the monster to be crouching there.

"No. Wait, are you trying to tell me that _you_-"

"No!" Link cried, shaking his head vehemently. He stabbed the Master Sword back into its sheath, scowling at Midna.

"I grew up in a _forest_. You know what I do when Ilia steals Epona and locks me out of the spring? I crawl through a skulltula infested _hole_ to get Epona back!" Midna cackled, a canine grin on her lips.

"That only makes me think you _are_ secretly afraid of-"

Midna left off and scowled at something behind him. Link turned his head and saw Sheik striding over to them. The red-eyed man didn't stalk or stomp like any other person would have if they were angry. His posture was still suspicious and doubly unfriendly as he had been before, but he moved like a ghost, silent and each motion fluid, except that he didn't wander.

Skull Kid skipped ahead of him, holding a bulky object tightly in its arms.

"Be safe." Midna whispered, touching his cheek gently with her fingers. He caught her eyes, searching for blue. There was none, and for that he was grateful.

"I will be. Now into the shadow. I'll be distracted enough without you yelling at me."

"Sword." She countered, eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest. Link sighed, shoulders slumping as he again drew the Master Sword. Wordlessly, she vanished, leaving him to scurry up to Sheik's side.

Again, Sheik sidestepped him.

They emerged into the center of the room, where a series of holes in the ceiling let in light. They weren't there by accident-the holes were fashioned smoothly out of the same brick that formed the ceiling. Hidden in the dark corners of the room were massive statues, squat and ugly, each holding a hammer etched in hollow glyphs. Sheik suddenly tensed and slowly drew a weapon, jerking his head around. Seconds later, Link felt it.

His other form was never truly _gone_. An echo of his senses remained in his Hylian form, and while it was nowhere as powerful as they were in his other form, his senses were better than anyone's should be.

The skittering of powerful legs scratched against the ceiling, and slowly, the monster that had slain the woman-whatever she was to Sheik-appeared. Its single, massive eye blinked slowly at them.

It had been a terrible sight to behold the first time, but this time made it all the more threatening. It wasn't as large as he had first thought it was, but it was narrower, more mobile. Heavy lids closed around the eye briefly and mandibles moved softly, clicking together gently. Save the colossal one on its back there didn't appear to be any other eyes on it, but its end, trailing a thin cord of web, seemed abnormally swollen. Was it female? Pregnant? That thought made him internally balk-he couldn't imagine how Ordon would survive with a nest of giant skulltulas making their home in Faron woods. The skulltulla acted sort of vaguely, like someone half-remembering how to do an important task. It appeared, almost, like it didn't _know_ how skulltulas acted-which made it scarier, because it wouldn't play by the same rules as skulltulas did. Its malice was carless, not directed at them as much as at anything and everything.

A chill ran down Link's spine. He hadn't encountered this sort of evil before _ever_. There had never been an absence of intentions, of motivation. There had been some who had acted without care because that was what they were, evil to the deepest corner of their hearts, but this was different. This was just a lack of…everything.

Even Zant was, and he was grateful Midna couldn't read minds because she would rip his head off for this, not as vile as this creature.

The eye suddenly turned red, glistening brightly in the dim light, and a stream of what _had_ to be pure magic shot down, racing across the ground directly towards them, because skulltulas did _not_ shoot fire from their eyes!

"_What in Farore's name-!_"

"Magic." Sheik snapped back, mimicking him and diving out of the way, just in time. Link's hat-_why_ did he insist on wearing the thing?-got caught in the beam and singed, leaving the tip of it crumbling to ash when he snatched at it.

"How in the Dark Realm are we going to-"

"Figure it out!" Sheik threw a veritable storm of the needle-things he'd threatened Link with earlier at the eye as he snarled. His aim was dead on and it blinked, shutting the beam off as it screeched-a terrible sound, animalistic in the purest sense. Its legs lost their purchase and it slammed into the ground beneath it, dazing itself.

It was right at the foot of one of the hammer wielding statues.

"Dominion-"

"I got it!" Link shouted back, flailing the Rod at the nearest statue frantically. He still couldn't control the magic well at all, and it took a few swings for the magic to take. He jerked the Rod to the ground as violently as he could, mimicking the move of a hammer. The stone weapon crashed into the skulltula's half-curled legs, which was the only thing that saved its life. It screamed again as its exoskeleton was cracked, green-black goop splattering the bottom of the hammer and the floor. Link jerked the Dominion Rod down again, but the magic had fled the statue and glowed softly in the Rod itself.

"Oh, come _on_!" Skull Kid laughed at his wail, while the skulltula scampered around with its giant eye closed firmly. It shot towards Link and he dropped to the ground, holding in a horrified gag as it passed over him, dripping its discolored innards on his tunic, and clambered back up to the ceiling. Link hooked the Dominion Rod back onto his belt as he struggled to his feet, trying to avoid touching the goop on his side.

"Get out your bow." Sheik's voice was suddenly very calm and rang across the room's sudden silence.

"My…?" The skulltula was passing over the openings in the ceiling, eclipsing the light that streamed in briefly as it headed towards the one directly above him.

"On your back!" Sheik snarled, fixing him with a look that could, probably, kill someone. The meaning still escaped Link, until he remembered the Hero's bow. Mentally slapping himself, he yanked it free and strung it up, fitting an arrow into it just as the skulltula stopped above him and opened its eye. He fired, waited only long enough to see that he had struck it, and dropped the weapon to the ground as he yanked out the Dominion Rod.

This time the hammer missed the body of the skulltula. Luckily for them it caught one flailing leg, rendering the flat limb entirely useless. Sheik retreated to the corner Skull Kid sat in, watching him intently enough for Link to worry more about whether or not Sheik was going to stab him in the back-literally, not figuratively-than the giant skulltula and its magical beam.

The monster got smarter, much to Link's displeasure. It avoided the circles of light and feinted, sometimes pausing without opening its eye. Link's arrows bounced off of its lid with absolutely no effect. This, in turn, made Link smarter. He stopped firing and walked as slowly as he could, taking care to make no noise as he followed its haphazard path on the floor directly below it.

But, finally, it slipped up. The skulltula's eye opened briefly to see where he was, but a second was all Link needed. He fired and dove out of the way, scrambling for the Dominion Rod.

This particular blow caught it directly in the center of its abdomen, no legs in the way at all. It exploded in a blast of foul guts that splattered across Link's body left him reeling from the stench. He fell backwards and swiped at his face, removing enough of the matter so that he could see as he struggled to keep himself from throwing up.

He almost wished he hadn't when he saw what he was faced with. Yes, the skulltula had been female. No, it had not, technically, been pregnant.

It had already given birth.

Hordes of pink and white baby skulltulas poured out of the mother's corpse, surrounding one spider in particular.

He should have known, when the exoskeleton had released the rot. It was a parasite, not a giant skulltula. Link got to his feet and drew the Master Sword without another word.

The little creatures scrambled away from him, only to turn and charge him with each of their still-soft mandibles pressing together and closing rapidly.

Each swipe of his blade killed more of them than he cared to count, but they still managed to climb up his legs and swarm him.

He was extremely lucky their mandibles weren't hardened, and that they weren't fully matured. They left bruises where they clamped over his flesh, but little else.

Link resorted to stomping his way through them as he flailed his arms around until he hit a wall, killing those that had been clinging to his stomach. He turned and smashed his back into the wall, and the rest of them took the hint.

Sheik was poking around in the corpse of the host skulltula as it crumpled to ash-

-_exactly_ like the woman had. Only monsters disintegrated, though. What in Farore's name did this mean?

Another horde of baby skulltulas tackled him and he banished the thoughts from his mind. He repeated the smashing move and impaled the rest, finally leaving only the parasite behind.

A frantic game of tag ensured, mostly consisting of Link trying not to fall on his face while the parasite did all but run in circles around him. Eventually he managed to kick it, sending it crashing into a wall, and from there out get a large enough lead to impale it.

"Ha!" Link cried out in victory as he split the parasite in half. It fragmented quicker than the others had, revealing two items that clanked to the stone.

His heart froze in his chest.

"Midna…"

A tiny hand clenched the soiled fabric on his shoulder, scraping against the mail he wore beneath it. Midna drew in an unsteady, rattling breath.

"I knew it had one of our artifacts, but…" Midna trailed off, grip growing tighter.

"That Goddess-forsaken _bastard!_ He-he-_how did he break it?!_ Only-_AH!"_ Midna shrieked loud enough to burst Link's eardrums as she released him and spun away, still screaming with rage. Sheik slowly approached, keeping a wary eye on them.

Link eyed the object lying in front of him with no small degree of concern. One was a familiar item, a bluish-white orb of magic with a pale ruby center. Heart containers, Midna called them. They served to strengthen his magic, heal wounds, and to strengthen him. He'd found a number of them since he'd begun his adventuring and, with each of them he'd found, he had found that he could work harder, longer. Useful tools.

The other was alien to him. It was a shard of a circle made of a reflective metal-like substance, covered in black etchings set deep into the metal. It radiated the same dark aura as Midna's Fused Shadows, and any thought of touching it fled his mind.

"What is this, Midna?" He asked slowly.

"The only way into the Twilight Realm is by using the Mirror. It was _whole_ when I arrived. Link, only the true ruler of the Twilight Realm can break it! And Zant is-Oh, Goddesses." Midna's voice broke into the most uncharacteristic whimper Link had ever heard. He turned sharply, concerned.

"Zant is a usurper. Midna, I have heard him call _himself_ a usurper. Maybe it was broken before you got here, or your entrance broke it. Magic is insane-you've said so yourself. Something else could have happened. Maybe it broke itself."

"But…"

"Hey, it's going to be alright. We'll go to its resting place. There's gotta be some sort of clue there. Maybe the Resistance can help us. So let's go. We'll head to Castle Town and figure out where we need to go from there." Link kept his voice steady and calm as he approached, carefully folding her into a hug. Concern twisted his heart. She was fire, rage and fury matching Din's. Seeing her flame extinguished twice within the same week terrified him.

"…What is this?" Sheik's voice surprised both of them. Still holding Midna, Link turned to study the red-eyed man. Sheik was staring at the mirror shard, head cocked to the side as his fingers twitched in the air, lantern hanging at his hip glowing a deep blue.

"The Mirror of Twilight. The only link between my realm and this that can be used any longer." Sheik looked angry, not at Midna's words, but at the presence of it. He let his hands fall to his sides as the lantern dimmed, but said nothing else.

Link nodded his head at the Heart Container, immediately catching Sheik's attention.

"Take it."

"No."

"You'll need it more than I-"

"I've already told you, Hero. Light does not flow easily in my veins." Sheik's voice was softer than it had been before, less laden with anger. Link sighed audibly but poked the orb of light with his foot, feeling its power ease the soreness in his muscles and the exhaustion burning in his eyes. Midna wriggled out of his grip and picked up the mirror shard in the peculiar way he'd grown accustom too, calling it to float just above her hand. She cast a hand towards the empty space behind them almost as an afterthought, summon a circle of pale blue light.

"Let's go." She said softly, distractedly.

"Come on, then. Midna's pretty good at not sending me into walls or anything." Link tried very hard to keep his voice conversational, hoping to ease his red-eyed companion's suspicions. He could deal with not being trusted, though he hated it. But the paranoia was too much for him. He didn't know who Sheik was, nor did he particularly care-by Farore, he'd gone almost half a year now without ever asking Midna who _she_ was! But he wasn't trying to kill or hurt or maim the man, and the distrust was annoying.

"If you think I trust you to so much as take me across the room you're a greater fool than I thought."

"You'll have to go through the entire Temple-"

"I have business to attend to. Now go."

This time, Link didn't argue.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**So next update I'mma summarize some things in this for those who may be confused-it'll all be revealed later, don't worry, and there won't be spoilers. But I have to do it next update for there not to be spoilers. I'm so excited to get to a particular chapter...GAH. But I hope you like this-about time I posted some new chapters.**


	6. Shadow Leaving

After the Hylian left, Sheik cried. Briefly. And then he slipped through the Seventh without alerting anything to his presence, following Skull Kid instinctually.

He found Veran's ashes in the main room and carefully gathered them up. He found her favorite bandage roll, one that had belonged to Malladus once, and rolled them up in it.

He then gathered every memento of his life there and dropped them into a pile, along with Veran's bag. He was emotionally exhausted as he sorted through them, repacking what he would take and piling up those he would bury.

He took with him every weapon he found, Lanayru's and Eldin's gems, Veran's blood vial, her tomes of magic, his own battle armor and whatever clothing would fit him. A spool of thread and a needle, bandages, potions Veran had brewed for them, the few rations they had stored away, and an object that hummed when it sensed Majora's presence. The Mask of Truth, one of the holiest items the Sheikah had ever created. Finally, his lyre.

Staying were rocks and leaves and twigs, feathers and wooden carving and Veran's clothing-except for the wooden train Malladus had carved for him just after arriving at the Seventh. His past, once, Malladus had conferred quietly. A land far away, where dying Lokomo breathed bindings against his prison and a black heart found its key.

He packed all of the items he wanted to keep into a rucksack. It was, on some level, depressing that everything fit, even if just barely.

And then he took the largest chunk of stone he could find and used the pitiful remnants of his magic to etch the Bleeding Eye into it, adding a single gear eclipsing the Eye's pupil.

Below it, Veran's name in Sheikah.

Malladus never got a proper burial. He never would. He was something ancient, something immortal in soul. Sheik would have marked Malladus' grave in similar fashion, declaring to any and all who approached it that Malladus was not to be harmed by any Sheikah. Veran's read different.

He drew a dagger across his palm and smeared the blood across the Eye's single drop, painting it red.

It declared her one of Lanayru's Blessed, someone who had served the Goddess more faithfully than the Sages of old had.

Skull Kid hugged him tightly while Sheik sobbed, quietly and desperate to get himself under control. The comfort he found in that small gesture was absurd.

"You're going to go, aren't you?" Skull Kid asked softly, once Sheik had regained his composure.

"I have to. If this Hero fails, all of the survivors die. And maybe he will be sent to one of the other Sanctuaries. I don't like it. But I don't trust him to stay alive, and he would offer an escort, a cover if I have to go through a Hylian city or town. And if there are other survivors in any of the Nine, I will have to keep him away from them."

"Do you promise to come back?" Skull Kid asked seriously, knuckles white around Majora's edges. A sad smile touched Sheik's lips, unseen.

"You know-"

"Before you go into the Shadow Temple and disappear. Before you leave Hyrule to find other survivors. After you're done with the Hero. Can you please just come back, even if it's just for a little bit?" The ragged threads circling Skull Kid's fingertips twitched with his agitation-

-and Sheik knew he could not leave his only friend like this. He sat up on his knees, so that he was facing Skull Kid squarely.

"I promise that I will return here, when the Hero's duty is done and my people are safe, if I am alive, and again, if I am still alive, to take the both of you back to Termina or wherever it is you want to go, at the end of your time here. I swear this on the tears Lanayru wept at the Fracturing."

Skull Kid's eyes widened. It was the most binding oath a Sheikah could swear. If he failed this, he would lose the favor of the Goddess he served and, by defiling single most tragic event in all of Hyrule's history, probably be put to death. A simple promise alone would have bound him, but he knew Skull Kid, and Majora, wanted the extra assurance.

"I'll hold you to that."

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"We should just leave. Ditch him. Didn't you promise you would leave? Why aren't you moving?!"

"Midna, he's just going to follow us. I would rather have my eyes _on _someone who wants to literally stab me in the back than having to keep an eye out for him everywhere I go."

"If we lose him now-"

"You'll be looking over your shoulder until we get you home. Relax, alright? We're going to go to Castle Town as soon as we leave here. Auru probably knows exactly where to go from here on out, so we'll have the rest of the mirror shards in no time." That was the root of the problem. Neither of them really trusted Sheik, but the Mirror was a bigger problem than the red-eyed man.

"It's in the desert."

"Do we know _how_ to get to the desert?"

"…No."

"There you go."

The sound of stone doors creaking open made Link turn, trying hard to ignore the itching between his shoulder blades. He was _expecting_ a dagger in his back now. Most of that was from Midna's ramblings, of course, but Sheik's hostility wasn't easy to ignore.

Skull Kid scampered out first, pausing to glare at him before vanishing into the forest around them. Sheik came out a moment later, a large bag slung over one shoulder and a long, slender, rounded piece of pearly grey stone in his hands. He'd changed into clothes not stained with blood-either that or it had entirely flaked off. The red-eyed man ignored them, muttering something under his breath Link assumed was a curse as he drove the stone into the ground. The earth seemed to open up and accept the piece of stone, offering resistance only when the stone was placed deeply enough that it would remain standing. Curious, Link moved around it to see the side Sheik was staring at.

He was horrified to see blood staining the stone's surface, and he turned sharply to Sheik. The red-eyed man was wrapping bloody bandages tightly around his palm.

"You-"

"To assure those who recognize her name will not disturb her." Sheik's curt tone silenced Link-but only for a moment.

"What did she do? Something terrible or something good? Or both?" He asked the questions softly, and they seemed to surprise Sheik. The red-eyed man-no, Sheik couldn't be any older than he was. The red-eyed _boy _stiffened, flinching away from him for a moment before sort of relaxing, his arms tilted slightly as if he were going to curl into himself.

"…She was a criminal, according to the tenets my people follow, of the highest order, for trying to save us before we knew we needed to be saved." Sheik said softly, closing his eyes tightly for a moment. It was an extremely formal and distant way to speak of someone so close to one's heart, but Link still felt a stab of envy. Sheik had had a relationship with his mother, known her. He could remember what she looked like. He had memories of her.

Link had none of that.

"Sounds more like she should be given a medal. Or, ah, what did Zelda say she was gonna do, Midna?"

"Knight you?"

"Yeah. Sounds like she should be knighted."

"…You want to knight a Sheikah?" Sheik sounded absolutely incredulous.

"I'm assuming the Sheikah are a race, based solely on your story…and that she is…was…one of them. You. Whatever. But, yeah." Link's less than elegant response earned him glares from both Sheik _and_ Midna, but it didn't enrage Sheik, which Link took as a good sign. He let a brief, pleased smile flicker across his lips-he was fairly certain Sheik wouldn't look like he wanted to kill him if he wasn't close to the truth.

Sheik sighed, shaking his head and wandered away a few steps. Then he spun sharply on his heel and stalked up to him, stopping a foot away from him.

"I am going to accompany you. If you do not succeed in destroying this evil, my people will have suffered for nothing. I do not believe you will survive long enough to do so without my aide." Sheik spoke quietly, but his tone gave no room for argument.

"Did you just say that I can't fight?" Link demanded, eyes widening dramatically.

"You are untrained. The only reason you have not died yet is because of the Triforce's power. You need someone to teach you, and Hylians know nothing of how to fight."

"I know plenty of people who can wield a sword!" Link objected, anger sparking within him. He could handle all of the insults meant for him, but Sheik was claiming Rusl didn't know how to fight at all-and Link had seen Rusl fight before.

"Not properly." Sheik snorted, his disdain clear.

"You-"

"Sheik?"

Both of them turned, Link jumping in surprise. Skull Kid crept closer, holding out its mask to him.

"Majora wants to talk to the Hylian." Sheik's eyes widened in shock.

"Who's Majora?"

"Sheik will tell you later! Just-"

"_Skull Kid!"_

_"_-Put the mask on!" The creature finished, firmly ignoring Sheik's cry. It shoved the piece of wood into his hands, and Link fumbled with it before managing to get a firm grip on it.

He'd seen glimpses of it before, throughout the Temple. It was a heart-shaped piece of worn wood garishly painted every color of the rainbow. But holding it was something else entirely.

It hummed with a sort of magic that made his flesh ache where he touched it, and a sense of trepidation, of fear, of _wrongness_ burned somewhere in the back of his mind-but not a large enough part for him to take heed of.

There wasn't a strap or anything of that sort that he could see-was he supposed to hold it to his face the whole while? He mentally shrugged-it was probably best to humor the creature, and there was obviously some sort of magic in the mask-and pressed it against his face.

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_"…__Midna…?"_

_"__I am Majora."_

_"…__I've spoken to a lot of disembodied voices but they usually showed themselves before introducing themselves."_

_"__Do not antagonize me. The last Hero to do so paid with more than his life."_

_"…__Alright."_

_"__I am here to give a warning and a request. You would do well to listen."_

_"__What are they?"_

_"__I ask that you return the Master Sword to its pedestal once you no longer have need of it. This does mean I will expect you to return to Hyrule, should you leave, before you die."_

_"__I intend to do that anyway, but what if I can't make it back? If I die in battle or something? Could I arrange for someone else to do it?"_

_"__I will not guarantee their safety."_

_"…__I'll do that."_

_"__Good…In return I will answer four questions."_

_"__Why does Sheik hate me so much?"_

_"__Ah…I had forgotten how ignorant you are. He hates you-and all Hylians-for the threat you pose to his people and the Great Betrayals."_

_"__What are…What were the great Betrayals?"_

_"__Massacres. Hylians betrayed their Goddesses, their allies, Hyrule itself, and their protectors and mounted mass slaughters of them. The first was forgiven by your Goddesses. The second was not."_

_"__But-Why have I never heard of them before, then?! The only wars I've ever heard of are the ancient wars fought over the Triforce, not anything like that!"_

_"__Why would your people write their sins down for others to read when there were none but them left to remember? They had no need to stain their legacy with the blood of those they cared nothing for. And it was not a war, Hero, it was a slaughter. You have one question left."_

_"__I…I'll save it. For later."_

_"__I will accept that."_

_"…__You said there was a warning too."_

_"__I did. Should you harm the Sheikah in any way, if you have anything to do with his death, Skull Kid and I will hunt you down and destroy you."_

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Sheik was woken from his half-asleep trance when the Hylian let out a hoarse cry, and he blinked sleepily at the man before recognizing that Majora had released him. Skull Kid snatched up the mask before it could hit the ground and glared as the Hero scrambled to his feet, stumbling back a few steps before falling onto his back.

"_Dear Farore_-"

"Is Majora alright?" Sheik asked softly, rubbing his eyes as he shifted his position. Skull Kid nodded, fastening the flap on his bag as he secured the mask.

"_How in the name of the Three_-" The Hylian cut himself off with a groan, clutching his head in his hands as he staggered up. Sheik watched him with hard eyes as the Hylian took a few steps towards the fire and then abruptly sat down.

He'd been out for a few hours. Sheik had given up any hope of leaving the Grove that day and had started a fire in the Seventh's ruins, and buried Veran's ashes under the marker while he waited, then slept for a time. The Hylian's shadow had disappeared shortly after he'd begun contact with Majora and even now had not reappeared.

"My head hurts." The Hero whispered, voice barely audible as he refused to look up.

"Majora likes Hylians about as much as Sheik does. 'Cept Majora just thinks you're stupid and spoiled. And Majora _hates_ Heroes, so Majora isn't going to be _nice_." Skull Kid snorted, dropping down at Sheik's side and nestling in.

"What are you-?" Sheik began to murmur, cutting himself off when Skull Kid grinned wickedly up at him.

"You gotta explain what Majora is." Skull Kid said smugly.

"No."

"But-!"

"No."

"_Sheik!"_

The Hylian winced at Skull Kid's shrill voice and looked up at it, glaring. Sheik met the Hylian's gaze for a moment. The Hero visibly flinched, if only for a second.

"What did Majora say to you?" He asked, as the Hero's shadow appeared, glaring at him as she moved to help him.

"Not even gonna think about that. My head hurts enough." The Hero said it softly but firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"What was that-is it?" The Hero suddenly asked, batting away his shadow's hand as he turned the full force of his gaze to Sheik. Skull Kid let out a hum of satisfaction and Sheik purposefully jostled him as he shifted, earning a cry from the creature.

"I told you before that there are…entities who hold great power besides the Goddesses. Other lands. Termina was one such land, and it is where Majora hails from."

"This isn't a _story_, Sheik!"

"I never promised a story. Majora…Majora is a deity far more powerful than the Goddesses. Majora enjoys games-and doesn't cheat, though that usually doesn't matter-and as such, could be trapped into the mask you saw. But even the Three could not destroy Majora, and when Majora met Skull Kid…They were sentenced to care for the Temple as punishment."

"So this is a prison?"

"No." Both of them looked at Skull Kid, surprised.

"Maybe a chore. But not a prison. Majora didn't do this for the Goddesses and I didn't do it for the Hero. We did it 'cause Majora owed Malladus and Malladus asked Majora to do it a long time ago."

"Did you just insinuate Majora manipulated the Goddesses themselves?" Sheik asked slowly-this was new to him. He'd known Majora and Malladus had been close, but…_this_?

"No. Faron needed a caretaker and both of them knew it. Majora just took advantage of that." Skull Kid replied, shrugging with a yawn. There was a moment of silence, and Sheik let out a soft sigh as he turned his gaze to the Hero.

"Get some sleep. We leave in the morning."

"Oh. Yeah, how are we going to get out? Because the only way in-I don't think you'd make it." The Hero asked, voice halting as the shadow cast him a warning glance. Sheik studied her for a moment, silent, before Skull Kid broke the quiet with a snort.

"One way in? How would Skull Kid get its puppets, if there was only one way in?" Sheik asked, amused.

"Regardless…I don't think that you will survive if you continue to fight without training. My people's lives depend on you succeeding in destroying the corruption. I will not leave anything to chance. How long will it take to get where you wish to go?"

"Uh…We're going to go to Castle Town when we get out of here and meet up with the Resistance. So…a week, if we walk."

"Then you'll begin training as soon as we leave the Grove." Sheik sighed, leaning back against the stone behind him.

"I can fight!"

"The only reason you aren't dead yet is because of the Triforce." Sheik replied coolly, eyes half-closing.

"…Your confidence in me is inspiring. I've freed most of Hyrule from the Twilight by now and we have the Fused Shadows, thank you very much. If I couldn't fight I wouldn't have managed to do that." He objected, standing up straighter. He winced after he did so, clutching his head tightly between his hands. Sheik glared impassively at the Hylian.

"Explain to me what this is. This Twilight, these Fused Shadows you keep speaking of."

The shadow froze, spine going rigid as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Um….So, there's Hyrule, the Sacred Realm, the Dark Realm, and then there's the Twilight Realm. Midna-for Din's sake, we haven't even introduced ourselves, alright, you're Sheik, this is Midna, I'm Link, alright?" The shadow-Midna-turned the full force of her glare to the Hylian. Link.

Sheik blinked at him, not responding to the question.

"…Alright. So Midna is from the Twilight Realm. And they have a Royal Family there too-and this guy, Zant, overthrew them and took over with a sort of magical power that he shouldn't have and cursed Midna to the form you see now, and exiled her here. And then he came and took over-cursed the land and turned it into Twilight, which you shouldn't have to see, hopefully, by cursing the Light Spirits. Do you know what those are?"

"…How many of them are there?"

"Ordona, Faron, Lanayru, and Eldin. So four."

Sheik let out a soft hum before he realized he'd done so.

"Yes."

"Good. Well, we broke the curses on them. And we got the Master Sword. We were going to go to the desert to get the Mirror of Twilight-which is the only gateway to and from the Twilight Realm. And then we found part of it in the skulltula." He stopped speaking for a moment, looking at Midna.

"Zant's invasion is really secret-not that many people know about it. Some of those who do have formed a group called the Resistance-Auru and Ashei and Telma and Shad. And Rusl. And, I suppose, the cat, Louise. But don't say anything about that. Anyway, they keep tabs on what's going on. Auru's an expert about the desert so he'll know how to get there and Shad knows everything, so he should be able to help."

"…They are based within the city itself?"

"Yeah. At Telma's Bar. It's near one of the gates and really out of the way, but yeah."

Sheik frowned, gaze growing distant. Veran had owned a cloak, one that was curled in the bottom of his bag around Lanayru's diamond and Eldin's ruby. He would have to wear it once they left the Grove. He hated to hide the markings of the Eye on his clothes-he was _proud_ of what he was-but he knew it was for the best. To not do so threatened the safety of his people.

And they were all that he had left now.

"And the Fused Shadows?"

"That's none of your concern." Midna's voice startled both of them. He looked up at her. She was glaring coldly at him, magic darkening the air around her with her rage. Sheik met her gaze and realized, abruptly, he'd crossed some sort of line. Not with the Hylian, but with her.

He nodded slowly, understanding, and she seemed surprised by that, slowly drawing her magic in and calming down.

"So can I ask you a question?" The Hero asked suddenly, after Midna had returned to his shadow.

"No. Go to sleep."

"But-"

"_Go. To. Sleep_."

"…Good night, Sheik."


	7. Shadow Training

Link made the mistake of asking Sheik why he thought he needed training so badly while they were forcing their way through the Grove's undergrowth. Sheik had been muttering something unintelligible under his breath, looking around suspiciously constantly-though Link thought that had more to do with the fact Link was behind him than any real threat that could attack them.

What followed entirely succeeded in making him feel both ashamed and horribly aware of how badly he needed training-Sheik _intricately _detailed each chance he'd had to kill him and all of the thousands of ways he could have killed him.

"-Alright! Alright! Stop! I need your help! I give up!" Sheik paused, holding a thick branch back-leaning against it with his back, his slight weight barely managing to keep the path clear while Link inched past.

"Did you _have_ to go that in-depth?" Sheik was silent for a moment, staring at him as if puzzled. Something dawned in his eyes and he let out a soft sound of surprise.

"It was how I was taught and it is how I will teach you. Leave no openings. Protect yourself. Stay aware of your surroundings at all times. Don't give me that look. Veran used to actually attack me when I slipped up."

"So instead you're just gonna tell me how you could kill me? I'm going to be as paranoid as you by the time we get to Castle Town!"

"I would be a poor teacher if it took a week for any of my lessons to sink into your head."

Link shot him a glare, unseen as the red-eyed man again took the lead. They fell into silence for the rest of their journey, Link silently musing over his new companion and Majora's words.

It didn't make sense. If what Majora had said was true, then the most violent, bloodiest conflict in Hyrule's history-one ending in the deaths of countless innocents-had just been…forgotten. That wasn't possible-was it?

How could every person in all of Hyrule simultaneously decide to forget something so important, and _hold true_ to it? Someone would have chosen to talk of it, or write it down-_something_.

He barely caught himself from falling into Sheik when he suddenly stopped, half turning to face him.

"What's wrong?" Link asked, slowly moving to Sheik's side.

They were peering out over Ordon Spring, but Sheik's gaze wasn't at the crystalline waters. Rather, he was staring up at the sky, eyes narrowed on the vortex of Twili magic hanging above it.

"Oh. That's Midna's. We use them to travel across Hyrule-quick and easy. But since you refuse to let Midna warp you, we're walking." Link let some of his ire bleed into his voice-something Sheik ignored.

"This corruption is going to cause another Fracturing if any more of these show up." Sheik murmured, voice barely audible as he began trekking around the spring.

"Sheik-" He began, dropping into the spring and sloshing his way over to him. Sheik danced back from the edge of the spring as he approached-not afraid, but wary of the water.

The light, Link realized-and what _were_ the Sheikah, if Sheik was just like Midna and harmed by magic?

His head was beginning to hurt-maybe Shad would help him sort it out. But, no, he couldn't tell Shad. Sheik would kill him.

"What?"

"You insulted Midna earlier-she's gonna yell at you later. So don't irritate Midna any more than you absolutely have to. I don't expect you two to get along, but be careful. She's dangerous when she's angry." Link absently touched his throat when he spoke, eyes serious when they met Sheik's. His companion replied by rolling his eyes, startling Link-it just wasn't a gesture he'd ever have thought would come from him.

"Draw your sword."

"I'm not joking around."

"Neither am I. I'll test your abilities and then we will leave."

As Sheik spoke he walked over to the gate and closed it-at some point, the villagers had repaired it. It was sturdier now, made of thicker wood and reinforced with metal, and a stronger bar that could be dropped to lock it. Sheik seemed unperturbed by this as he dropped the heavy oak bar down. Sheik shrugged his bag off and let it fall to the ground beside the gate.

"Uh, what are you-?"

"Being interrupted would slow us down." Sheik said dryly-and attacked.

"_Dear Farore-!_" Link yelped as he jerked his shield up, catching Sheik's dagger on the metal surface. Sheik pushed off of the object and danced away, gaze calculating. Link drew the Master Sword, grip tighter than it should have been as he fell into a defensive stance, slowly circling Sheik. He'd barely taken two steps before Sheik lunged, catching him before his foot was firmly on the ground and sending him crashing to the ground.

And Sheik refused to give him any sort of time to think about what was going on. He just _reacted_.

His chest was heaving desperately for air and his hair plastered to his forehead when Sheik backed off, sheathing his weapons and idly stretching. Link eyed him warily but slowly put his shield and sword away as well.

"Don't you _warn_ people before you start attacking them?

"No. Surprise works better. You never threw me into the spring." The last was almost an accusation, as Sheik walked over to him.

Satisfaction burned in his chest when he saw how out of breath Sheik was, and how he kept tugging at his hair, pushing it out of his face.

"And…?"

"Why?"

"Midna can't touch it. Well, she might be able to now, you know, but before it would kill her. That's how Zant almost killed her. And you kept avoiding it when we got down here, so…" Link trailed off, shrugging.

Sheik's eyes were, again, calculating. He let out a soft sound that Link didn't catch and walked over to his bag, kneeling beside it and carefully rummaging through it before drawing out a thick black object. He shook it out, revealing it to be a long cloak, and draped it over an arm as he closed up his bag and equipped both items.

"Why are you putting that on?" Link asked curiously. It wasn't a hot day, but it was comfortably warm, and the cloak looked heavy. Sheik unfolded it and shook it out, sparing him a glance.

"It's bad enough _you_ know I am alive. I do not need other Hylians recognizing the Bleeding Eye."

"So it's a disguise?" Link received a withering look for his trouble as Sheik donned the garment, which he ignored. He hefted the bar out of its resting place and set it off to the side, swinging the gate doors open.

The change was instant. The cloak was simple-just a dark black that clung to Sheik like a shadow, hiding his entire body in its murky folds-but it still emphasized just how small he was. A bandaged hand appeared-nothing else was visible, just the somewhat disembodied limb-and caught the swinging gate before it hit him. Link had a feeling once Sheik put the hood up he wouldn't even be able to see the man's eyes.

"Is is enchanted?" Red eyes flashed up to meet his gaze, glittering with annoyance. Sheik didn't bother to respond-not that he had to. The look said it all.

Asking incredibly obvious questions hadn't always been something Link had done, but after meeting Midna, he'd realized everything he assumed about everything was false. Midna put up with it-it was one of the few things she had patience for. And it was just for assurance-nothing incredibly important.

"Take the lead, Hero. I don't know where we are going."

"You're not gonna like Faron. It's filled with all this poison misty stuff. It's not fun. Well, actually, you might like it. Midna did. But that's only because she's a sadist. The place makes the Dark Realm look like…I don't know. The Sacred Realm? I've never been there, though, so…" Link shrugged, glancing at his companion.

Sheik's gaze was distant, slightly pained.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

"I don't like these woods."

Sheik would say nothing else on the matter, and their journey continued in silence.

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The week passed in an exhausting blur. They woke before dawn each day and trained, walked, trained, ate, trained, walked, trained, ate, and slept. There were no breaks, no days off, and Sheik remained just as unfriendly as he had been before-though every so often Link could bait him into arguing with him, and he _did_ seem more talkative. Link would have complained-would have been furious-if Sheik hadn't made him so aware of how badly he needed the help.

Sheik _was_ an excellent teacher, though. He continuously belittled him, but always made it clear how far he'd progressed too-and, as exhausted as he was, Link could see it easily. He could fight longer, harder, and slowly the number of times Sheik could have killed him went down, if only slightly. When they were walking Sheik taught him how to walk without making a sound and a number of other tips like that-ridiculous things, but Link could see how they would help him. As exhausting as it was, Link thought it was worth it. Sheik was better than the ghostly warrior he stumbled across every so often, in any case-even better than Rusl.

And then the seventh day they reached the main entrance of Castle Town-_before_ noon. They were _hours_ early.

"How in Din's name is that even _possible?_" Link gaped, staring between the massive white walls of the city and Sheik, who was tugging his hood as low as it would possibly go.

"You overestimated the time it would take to get here."

"Not possible. I've trekked from Kakariko-_yeah, I know, New Kakariko_-enough times to know how long it takes."

"Apparently not, Hero."

"Link."

"…Hero."

"_Link_."

"_Hero_."

"Both of you _shut up_. What are you, four? How _old_ are you anyway?" Midna's voice startled the both of them-Link inwardly cheered to see Sheik jump and _not_ go for a weapon first thing. It was progress. Minimal, but still progress.

"No! Wait! I want to guess this! Twenty!"

"No."

"Eighteen."

"No."

"…Sixteen?"

"I'm not a child, Hero."

"Fine, how old are you?" Sheik glared at him-he couldn't see it, not with the hood and its strange shadowy magic enveloping Sheik so completely, but he could feel it acutely.

"…What year is it _exactly_?"

"Well, I don't know the _date_. Charlo might. Come on. Let's go ask him." Link said, nodding towards the gate looming ahead of them as he started towards it. Sheik continued to glare at him, but followed wordlessly. Something smacked the back of his head _hard_.

"Thank you for remembering I was there." Midna snapped. He turned to face her, only to find she wasn't there-he'd pay for it later. She hadn't said much all week, other than to warn Sheik that if he killed Link, she'd kill him. Hopefully she'd find someone to bother inside.

The gates were, as they had been since Zant's invasion, unmanned by guards. One of the massive doors was firmly shut, the other swinging loosely in the wind. Link tugged it open a touch more and slid through, knowing Sheik was following him.

The bustle of Castle Town rose up suddenly around him. Zora, Gorons, and Hylians were hawking goods and hurrying to various destinations. Link instinctively refused to breathe in through his nose-it was intolerable, with his heightened senses, if he did. He reached a hand out, brushing the folds of Sheik's cloak to make certain he was there, before weaving a path through the crowd of people. It had been disorienting the first time he'd done this, even with everyone a ghost. He was more used to it now, though, and kept on a relatively straight path headed directly for the stables.

Charlo, a priest, had taken up residence outside of it where he gathered donations for those in need. He had a tendency to ramble on in his sermons, which he gave after receiving a donation, so Link had never really spoken to the man-but unless Link was willing to wait until they arrived at Telma's, Charlo was the only person he could ask for the date.

He dropped a handful of rupees into the elderly man's cup as he entered the alcove Charlo was standing in, free of the press of traffic. Charlo was a tall Hylian, skeletal and bald. He had a long white beard that was at extreme odds with his brilliantly colored robes.

"Hello, Charlo."

"Ah, good morning, master Link. The people of Hyrule thank you for your generosity." The elderly man bowed to him as he spoke, eyes crinkling with a smile. Link glanced behind him and very nearly jumped in shock-Sheik was hovering extremely close to him, gaze flickering across everything in the vicinity as he shifted uncomfortably. It was the closest Sheik had ever gotten to him outside of trying to kill him. It was the crowds, Link realized. Assuming Sheik's parents had been at the Temple of Time with him, the only other person he'd known was Skull Kid-this many people this close would be terrifying.

Link mentally smacked himself. He should have realized that earlier and waited until after nightfall-there were far fewer people out and about then.

"Uh, Charlo, do you know what the date is today?"

"It is the year five-hundred of the Age of Light, the twenty-third day of Farore's Heart."

"Thanks. Good luck, Charlo."

He waved to the priest as he grabbed Sheik's arm and tugged his companion after him as he pushed his way through the crowd. Sheik didn't draw away, as Link had expected him to. When they finally stumbled into the dead-end alley that held the entrance to Telma's, Sheik's relief was an almost visible thing.

"So it's the twenty-third of-"

"I heard." Sheik's voice wasn't as steady as it usually was, but he tugged himself free of Link's grip and looked around. The alley wasn't much to look at-an entrance to the sewers, some soggy crates in a corner and rats sniffing around in the damp shadows. There was a small passage leading into a large room with a door-the entrance to Telma's Bar.

"So how old are you?" Link asked, wandering over to the passage.

"Seventeen…Is this it?"

"Seventeen? Huh. I thought you'd be older than me. Ah, yeah. You can take your cloak off inside." Sheik glared at him again, and Link shrugged at the look, not bothering to act as if he wasn't surprised.

"Ashei's almost as paranoid as you. Please, Sheik, it'll help."

Sheik responded by pushing the hood off and shooting him a sour look. Link sighed and beckoned for Sheik to follow him.

Telma's was clean and dry, in stark contrast with the alleyway outside. It was empty, wooden tables and chairs pushed uselessly against the far wall to clear a big space, and the alcove that the Resistance usually held was cluttered with all sorts of papers-they were pinned to the walls and covered the entire table, stacks of books resting around Shad's usual seat. Louise padded over and Link knelt down to pet her. She ignored him, instead throwing herself at Sheik's ankles and purring. Sheik hesitated before scooping her up, and whatever tension that had clung to him fled.

"Telma? Shad? Auru? Ashei? Rusl? Anyone here?" Link called, slowly approaching the table. Sheik had no such qualms-he moved to Shad's spot and bent over the papers, interest clear in his eyes. There was a quick clatter of wood and Link inched his way behind the bar just as Telma popped up-he yelped and nearly fell back in surprise.

"How'd you-?"

"There's a basement under the bar, hun. Oh, you have a friend with you!" Telma's eyes widened dramatically as she moved out of the way for Shad and Auru and Ashei.

She was a large, busty woman. Loud and intimidating, she'd scared him the first time he'd met her. Sheik wasn't surprised-he eyed her suspiciously and let Louise jump down from his arms. Shad bolted for his papers, just as suspicious of Sheik as Sheik was of him. Before Shad could totally rescue his notes, Sheik reached out and tapped a line of writing.

"That is wrong."

Shad froze. He was little more than a jumble of sharp edges and angles-a shock of unruly auburn hair and glasses that made his eyes look twice their size topping it-and all of that was twice as apparent when he stopped moving.

"That would render my _entire_ translation incorrect." Link's eyes went wide in horror-he'd _never_ seen Shad so angry.

"It is. The Gerudo didn't worship their king, they worshipped the Three."

"But the references are almost entirely _masculine_! None of the Three are male!"

"To a Hylian. The Gerudo were a race of female _warriors_. They valued strength and power-traits Hylians consider masculine. Stop applying your beliefs to the scripts or you'll never discover anything true."

"How do you even _know_ that?" Shad demanded, gaping at Sheik.

"Sheik, that's Shad, Telma, Auru, and Ashei. Everybody, this is Sheik. And, Shad, he's right. Whatever it is, he's right. Don't question it." Auru looked interested and approached, dropping into his usual seat as Ashei trailed him, glaring at Sheik. Telma chuckled.

"You _did_ learn something." Sheik muttered, slipping past Shad and taking up residence behind Link, gaze only slightly troubled.

"Where's Rusl?"

"Back in Ordon-said he wanted to check on everyone, see if they were alright." Link let out an annoyed sigh-he missed Rusl, and he'd hoped that he'd be there. He should have gone to Ordon before trekking out here, but he was fairly certain Midna and Sheik would have killed him for it.

"So who are you…Sheik? I have never seen a Hylian with eyes that color before." Auru asked softly. Sheik's ruby eyes went cold. Auru wasn't physically imposing in the least. Dark-skinned and wrinkled, he had a thick, wiry sort of body stuffed beneath his odd clothing and was formidable in a fight-or so Telma had told him. All Link knew was that he enjoyed explosions and was a brilliant inventor, which he only knew because of Shad.

"You never will." He said coolly, hand appearing to tug his cloak closer around his body.

"What he _means_ is that he's not Hylian and he would appreciate it if you don't ask any more questions." Link interjected, frowning at his companion. Sheik either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Why are you here, yeah?" Ashei asked abruptly, eyes narrowed on Sheik.

"We need information on the Gerudo Desert. How to get there, what to expect, that stuff." Link sighed, shrugging his shoulders dramatically.

"Why-?"

"_Why do you have the Master Sword?!_" Shad's yelp cut Auru off and nearly burst everyone's eardrums. Link shifted uncomfortably as they all turned to him-except for Sheik.

"Because we need it for…Stuff I promised I wouldn't say." He ended in a mutter, feeling Midna's warning rage even though she wasn't present.

"Do you know what this means?!"

"Who was the last…Hero…In your history?" Sheik asked, silencing Shad immediately. Telma raised an eyebrow at the way he spat the word 'hero' out, but said nothing on the matter.

"The Hero of Time." Auru said softly, eyeing him strangely. Sheik muttered something unintelligible and leaned against the wall behind him, sliding to the ground and seeming content to let Link deal with this by himself.

_Traitor_.

"Link, _you have the Master Sword_!"

"Auru!" He whined, gaze pleading with the old man. Ashei took the initiative, however, as she gracelessly dropped into the last open chair at the table. There was a thump, shaking the entire table, and Shad doubled over as he clutched at his leg.

"Whatever it is, it can wait, hun. Let's get your rooms sorted out." Telma declared, nodding towards the bar. Auru opened his mouth to say something, but Telma turned a stare as hard as iron to him, and his mouth snapped shut.

"You have rooms here?" Link asked, surprised.

"Of course I do! Where do you think this lot sleeps?"

"Good question." He muttered, brow furrowing as he frowned at the Resistance. Ashei scowled at him.

"Well, come on! You too, Sheik. You'll have to share a room. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"No." Link sighed, shifting the Master Sword on his shoulders as he followed Telma behind the bar. He felt Sheik's fingers brush his elbow, and glanced over his shoulder at the red-eyed man.

Uneasy ruby eyes met his.

"You've been running around all over Hyrule so long, you need some rest. So get some sleep and I'll bring down food, and you can bother Auru in the morning, alright?"

"It isn't even noon!" They reached the end of the stairs, emerging into a long hallway. There were three doors on either side of it, all of them closed, but Telma head directly for the end of the hall and a waiting arch.

"You're not done training, Hero."

"But _Sheik!_" Link snapped his mouth shut when he caught his companion's look.

"So that's why you're here, hun? Glad someone is finally teaching Link to wield a sword." Link's head whipped back around to glare at her furiously.

"_For the last time_, Rusl-"

"-Barely taught you anything, dear. Enough to fend off small monsters preying on goats. I'll send Ashei down to help-Din knows you'll need it." As Telma spoke she opened the last door, and they came out into a large octagonal room bearing a startling resemblance to Mayor Bo's wrestling arena. It was made of wood and stone, sand coating the floor and straw cushions plastered across all of the walls. A barrel sat in one corner and above the mats wooden racks were fastened to the walls, where weapons sat. Sheik pushed past him, tilting his head back to survey every inch of the room.

"Your room will be the first on the right on your way out of here, hun. I'll get you two something to eat."

"Telma-"

"Ashei will be down in a moment!" She sang, vanishing surprisingly quickly.

A soft laugh sent Link spinning on his heel to face Sheik-he knew that laugh. It meant he was about to be attacked. The same sort of glint in Midna's eyes shown in Sheik's as he sank down, making himself comfortable in the corner by the barrel.

"I will have her fight you."

"So you're going to teach the both of us?"

"No." Sheik's voice was surprisingly hard. Link shrugged out of his extra weaponry and the like, leaving it in an unorganized heap beside Sheik. The red-eyed man had taken to sorting out Link's equipment while Link trained, when Sheik wasn't fighting him. Link stretched while Sheik pulled the closest one onto his lap, shifting it around his cloak so that his body was still entirely hidden.

Link sat down in front of Sheik, tapping his companion's knee until Sheik looked up at him.

"Promise me you won't kill any of them."

"No." Sheik's eyes never left his.

"Promise me unless they do _serious provoking_ that you won't kill them." Link amended, voice quiet and serious.

"I'll consider it."

"Consider what?" Ashei's curt voice startled Link, though Sheik seemed entirely unperturbed. He turned to see her staring-well, doing her best impression of Midna's glare-at Sheik.

"Nothing that concerns you. Both of you draw your weapons. If the woman didn't tell you already, you will be aiding the Hero in training."

"How?" She shifted, a hand on a hip as narrowed her eyes at them. She was a striking figure like that, slender form covered by bulky armor and her blue hair pulled back into two pigtails. She had no extremely prominent curves but wore her clothing-thick wool from her homeland, wherever that was-in a style that accented them. Though it wasn't wise to say anything about it. Link had seen her react when Shad had tried, once.

"Try to kill him."

"_Sheik!"_

"He's got the Master Sword. It's supposed to cut through my blade or something, yeah?"

"Your weapon will be fine. If it was that sharp the Hero would be dead by now. Just try not to touch it with your bare hand. Arms up, Hero." And, infuriatingly enough, Sheik was right-Ashei was attacking him before Link had even lifted the tip of the Master Sword off of the sandy ground. He worked wildly to defend himself, arms shifting and blade flashing brilliantly against Ashei's far more slender sword.

A week ago, he wouldn't have stood a chance. Now, things were different. He managed to take the offensive and force a sort of equilibrium between the two of them-neither could beat the other, but it was better than loosing. He glanced at Sheik out of the corner of his eyes and his jaw dropped-Sheik's head was bowed, sifting intently through something on his lap.

"Eyes on your opponent, Hero."

"_You weren't even looking at me!"_ Ashei threw her weight into his shield, and Link wrenched his arm free of it frantically.

"Didn't Majora tell you? I know everything. I see everything. And if you don't keep your Eldin-damned arms _up_ you'll still be training come morning." It was terrifying, Link decided, because it sounded almost like Sheik had made a joke.

"How do you plan to do that?!" Sheik's gaze lifted from whatever it was he was hunched over and Link absolutely _froze_ at the look in Sheik's eyes. Briefly, the same careless sort of malice that had consumed the giant skulltula in the Temple of Time shone in those ruby orbs.

And then he was on his back, Ashei's sword pushing into his throat and her boot planted firmly on his chest.

"Good. Again." Ashei took a step back, lifting her blade from his flesh and offering him a gloved hand.

"Sheik-"

"Don't make me get up, Hero."

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"Thanks."

For a moment, Sheik wasn't certain that he'd heard anything. Then a weight settled close to him, at the edge of his blanket, and he cracked his eyes open irritably. Wide blue orbs met his, glittering in the dim light of a lantern hanging from the ceiling. The Hero must have turned it on.

"For?" It took far more effort to speak than it should have. He was exhausted. Picking information about the Hero's quest from the Hero's brain was difficult, and he'd been on edge all day, surrounded by Hylians in a _city_ of Hylians, _and_ he hadn't pushed himself so hard since the year after Malladus died-though the results were worth it, all he wanted to do was rest.

"Teaching me. I know it's hard for you." As the Hero spoke, he laid down beside him on his back, gaze fixed on the ceiling. Link had been sleeping on the bed, as per Sheik's orders, while Sheik curled up with a handful of blankets on the floor.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" It was little more than a growl. He shifted away from the Hero as he spoke, though the Hero wasn't touching him.

"I'm as exhausted as you are and I can't. I've been trying. And I tried talking to Midna, but either she's ignoring me or she made due on her threat and is hiding in Ashei's shadow."

"I am."

"Am what?"

"Sleeping."

"But I'm not."

"_Not. My_. _Problem_."

"_Technically_ it is."

Sheik gave up with an explosive sigh, pushing himself up until he was sitting with his back leaning against the wall behind him. The Hero turned his head to look at him, and his eyes widened a fraction. Sheik stared blankly at him before realizing that his bandages were askew, his cowl hanging around his throat.

"I'm not going to tell you a story."

"What about if I ask you a question? You can answer if you want to, but you don't have to. And then you can ask me a question and I'll answer it."

Sheik didn't say a word of agreement, but the Hero seemed to take his silence as a 'yes'.

"Is that why you wear the cowl? Because of the scars?" Beth stirred in her lantern, resting against the foot of the Hero's bed. Black light illuminated the room around them as her misty blue form coalesced for an instant, checking on the two of them before going back to sleep.

"I wear it because it is an ancient tradition of my people." Sheik said curtly, fingers brushing against the cloth as he pulled it up above the old wounds absently. The Hero frowned at him as he did so.

"In the Seventh, you said that Eldin had caused the Fracturing. What is your version of what happened?" He spoke hesitantly, phrasing his words as carefully as he could. The Hero blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment, then suddenly started, pushing himself up.

"Oh. Din's Wrath. Well, I don't know if I remember all of it right 'cause Rusl's voice can be really monotone when he starts trying to tell stories, but after the Hero of Time saved Hyrule from a great evil that Din had gifted with the Triforce of Power, she grew furious and in her rage tore Hyrule apart, 'cause I think she loved him. It. Her. I don't know what it was. The earth quaked and the mountains spewed fire, lakes became massive oceans and plains became canyons. The Royal Archives themselves were lost-the Royal Family has been looking for them since-so all sorts of history and magic is just…gone, even though it was supposed to be the most protected spot in all of Hyrule. So that's why you won't usually hear anyone pray to Din. I know, don't give me that look, it's a weak story and everyone knows it but no one says anything about it. Will you tell me what actually happened?"

He'd learned, over the course of the past week, that Link wasn't usual in any form of the word, but the question still threw him. He couldn't understand why, when Hylians had spent so many years forgetting, he would ask something that would undo all of that. And he couldn't understand why he continued to indulge the Hero.

"Hylians were never meant to spill blood. When they started massacring us…If you remember the story I told you in the Seventh, you are born from Time itself-Time is as much a part of you as you are a part of it. We were charged with keeping your magic pure. You ignored Faron's sanctions and, as such, Time tore itself apart with the agony of it. Hyrule ripped itself apart at the seams."

"So us fighting is what started it?"

"No. Killing is what caused the Fracturing."

"And you call it the Fracturing because everything was torn up." Sheik nodded his head slightly.

"Tell me every horror story you know." The Hero blinked at the sudden request.

"You like-?"

"No. But if we are in any sort of record of yours, it will be nightmares." The Hero's eyes became grave, and he shifted his position slightly closer to him. Sheik responded by moving farther down the wall.

"I'm not the person you should ask. Shad knows way more than I do. But I'll try, alright? Hmm…I remember one story Bo told Ilia and me, about some kids who wandered into Faron woods when they weren't supposed to. They were hunted down and eaten by Faron's Beast. So not the sort of story you're looking for."

"What is this…Faron's Beast?"

The Hero's eyes became guarded, suddenly.

"A story. Supposedly it's a monster bound by the magic of Faron woods, something powerful and something that doesn't know mercy. Ordon is a very small town that, to the rest of Hyrule, has very little importance. So the few stories we have tend to be greatly exaggerated and stuff."

There was something that the Hero was hiding. It was apparent in the tension in his voice, his eyes. It didn't surprise Sheik. Whatever it was, it was related to this story of 'Faron's Beast'. Sheik assumed it did exist, and the Hero was trying to hide that-he couldn't think of any other sort of possibility, though that could have been because he was exhausted.

He yawned, rubbing at his eyes as the Hero again lay down on the wooden floor.

"Good night, Sheik. I'll bug Shad about that later, in the morning. And if anybody does anything that they shouldn't, tell me, alright?"

"Why-"

"'Cause they don't trust you and they won't actually mean anything they say and they don't deserve to be horribly mutilated over that."

"Do you trust them? With the knowledge of what you are and what has happened to Hyrule?" Sheik's tone was abrupt-he couldn't help it.

The Hero had a strange way of speaking of them. He liked them well enough, and respected their expertise and their greater knowledge, but he'd never explicitly said that he trusted them as a whole. That bothered Sheik-not that he would have respected that trust if the Hero said he _did_ to trust them.

"Sort of. I trust them as much as I trust Zelda. I don't know their motive. I don't know anything about them and what I do know isn't anything important. But I kind of have to trust them. I don't have any other option." The words struck a chord within Sheik. He didn't have a choice but to trust that the Hero wouldn't kill him while he slept, that the Hero would save his people. He understood how that could wear on one's nerves.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" The Hero's voice was soft, barely audible.

"Yes." Blue orbs locked on him.

"Who?"

Sheik's snort seemed to startle the Hero.

"I never knew their names. Hylians."

"Why?"

"You haven't seen death, have you? Not a person's death, just monsters."

A flicker of respect burned in his stomach when he saw no embarrassment overtake the Hero's eyes, no sign that he was ashamed of that. Maybe this Hero was an _actual_ Hero.

"No. But, why did you kill them?"

"At first? To survive. I was five and we were fleeing. They kept attacking us, killing us-there were six of us then. Only three of us made it. I got caught alone by a knight. He thought I wouldn't be a problem. Malladus had given me a blade, though I didn't know how to use it. And when he leaned down…" Sheik trailed off, shrugging.

"And then for revenge. For what they did to me, what they did to my family, my people. And then to protect the Grove and the Seventh." He met the Hero's eyes, expression serious.

"You're going to kill this Zant, you know. If only the Master Sword can harm this corruption. I won't leave him alive, I won't let him remain a threat to my people."

"How is he any more a threat to your people than to mine?"

"Because Hylians _have_ magic. The Sheikah _are_ magic. And this corruption is devouring every form of magic that it comes across. The Light Spirits are magic-too powerful to devour immediately, and so Zant broke them into pieces, if what you told me was true. If he could harness this sort of power once he will do it again. Such a thing is addicting."

"And your magic is Shadow, like Midna?"

"No. Her magic is not Shadow-it is, for all intents and purposes, Twilight. An equal mix of Light and Shadow. The Sheikah were born of shadows, but our domain is death-and that doesn't belong to Light magic."

"Death." The Hero repeated, expression absolutely blank. A terrible sort of smile touched Sheik's lips.

"I'm sure by now there are stories. Restless spirits haunting the night, corpses clawing their way out from beneath the earth. They were our charges, and now they are breaking free of their bonds and attacking you."

The Hero froze.

"There's a cemetery in K-New Kakariko. Will-?"

"I don't know. I would like to see it, though..." Sheik trailed off, letting out a barely audible laugh.

"Go to sleep, Hero. You'll need it."

And, blue eyes troubled, the Hero _finally_ obeyed.


	8. Shadow Waiting

The large woman that the Hero had repeatedly told him was named Telma dropped her arms onto the bar, propping up her chin as she stared at him. Link had been gone with the scholar, Shad, for the better part of an hour-apparently there were materials needed that the scholar didn't have on hand. Ashei was sitting in a corner watching him warily and rubbing sore muscles as he sat on a stool in front of the bar. The old man was gone as well, though Sheik hadn't asked where he'd gone.

"So where are you from, hun?" Sheik tugged his cloak closer around his body, though its magic would have kept it from revealing his attire. He'd found that he'd been doing that far more often lately than he liked-it was a tic that would give him away at some point.

He paused before answering. It would be easiest to say he wasn't from Hyrule. And the only other land he knew enough about and was sure was obscure enough to not warrant too much foreknowledge of it was Malladus', and he hesitated to use that. His knowledge of the land was, if what the Hero had said was true, five hundred years out of date. But saying he was from Hyrule would hit far too close to the mark.

"Far past Death Mountain." Surprise lit the woman's eyes.

"How in the Three did you get around that mountain?"

"I didn't." He muttered, pushing off of the stool and standing. He wandered further down the bar, picking up some of the random objects strewn across its top and looking at them curiously.

"How'd you meet Link?" It was Ashei who asked. Sheik set down the glass bauble he'd been holding and looked at her.

"It isn't important."

"Ye-"

"All that you need to know is that I have no intention of killing him. I need him alive, as do you. It's that simple. I don't care about you. I don't care if you _like_ me. I don't care if you don't trust me. I am here to ensure he survives long enough to save Hyrule. You'll live as long as you don't interfere with that."

"Arrogant-You honestly believe you could kill any of us?" Ashei snorted, bristling as her fingers settled on the hilt of her sword. Sheik studied her critically a moment, and turned his gaze to Telma. She was frowning at the both of them.

"No one is killing anyone. Ashei, sit down. You, sit. I don't want to see either of you two moving until Link gets back, understand me? And you, Sheik, _are_ going to answer some questions about yourself. We're not going to let our friend-never mind that he's a Hero now-traipse off with a stranger."

Sheik's eyes lit with amusement as he looked at her, standing fiercely with her hands on her hips and glaring at the two of them as if they were small children. He obeyed, dropping onto another stool.

"She would have liked you." He said softly, tilting his head as he regarded her. At his hip, Beth stirred, and he unhooked her lantern from its place and carefully turned it over in his hands, fingers catching on the ridges and glass.

"Who?" His comment had thrown her off, and the two Hylians stared at him in bewilderment.

"My…Mother." He hesitated before speaking, feeling Beth spark to awareness. He cupped his hands over her lantern, shielding her light from their eyes.

"How old are you?"

"It depends. Seventeen or so." The 'so' being five hundred and five years. A strange number, Sheik thought, but he wasn't going to say it.

"And where are your parents?"

"Murdered." It didn't hurt, to say it, which surprised him. Veran's death was still a fresh wound, and he would always miss Malladus, but…He'd accepted that they were gone. Maybe it was time to add Malladus' blood to the Bleeding Eye-it had stopped hurting, so it must have been ready.

Ashei flinched violently, and Telma's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, hun." That threw Sheik. He raised an eyebrow at her, but he didn't say anything. A Hylian apologizing?

"Why are you so insistent about getting Link to save Hyrule?" Ashei asked.

"Those I care about will suffer a death I wouldn't wish on…well, that's not true. If he fails those I care about die. And I'm not going to let that happen." He shrugged.

"So you're teaching Link how to fight? Can you even wield a sword?"

"I prefer not to." He replied, nodding.

The door suddenly burst open, crashing against the wall behind Sheik. He turned in time to see the Hero stumble in, nearly buried beneath the weight of the texts he carried. He made no move to help, but Sheik reached out and took one of the books as he staggered past, followed momentarily by an equally laden Shad. It was a notebook, pages covered in the scholar's handwriting. He flipped it open, scanning the text, before freezing on one particular passage.

_…__miracle, its name has survived. 'Arbiter's Grounds'. The Royal Family turned the ruins into a prison, where the worst criminals in Hyrule were sent. It has been a dark spot on the Family's reputation-the horrors the prisoners endured are unimaginable. It is said that the Hero of Time brought the Dark King himself there, to be executed, but the Triforce of Power proved too much for the Sages. Instead he was imprisoned, though where is unknown._

"Sheik?"

He realized he'd let out a strangled sort of noise, and he snapped the book shut, fingers white around its cover as he looked up at Link. Behind him stood the scholar, Ashei, and Telma, who were all staring at something on the floor at his feet.

"Beth's out." His own gaze moved downward, and he saw her, lantern blazing with a brilliant blue-black fire as she flitted about around him, anxious and worried over his sudden terror. He drew in a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and scooped up her lantern.

"You know better than that." He murmured. She refused to dissipate, instead moving over to Link and circling his shadow intently. Looking for Midna, he realized.

"What in the Sacred Realm is that?" Ashei demanded, her sword held in her hands. Link was busy poking at Beth, who was examining everyone's shadow for Midna.

"She shouldn't hurt you. She isn't angry right now."

"What is i-she?" Shad asked curiously.

"A Poe." The Hero murmured, grinning a self-satisfied sort of grin as Beth let him poke at her. Sheik tapped the glass of her lantern and he felt her irritation, but she disappeared and he put it away.

"Do you have what we need?" He asked, eyeing the mountain of books waiting for their attention on the table.

"Are you really just going to ignore-_Ow!_" Shad clutched his stomach as the Hero grinned apologetically, but pushed Shad ahead of him, towards the table.

"We better. I'm not going to be happy if we have to go back there. It's all the way across the city." The Hero replied.

"We should. Once Auru gets back we'll have everything we need. You'll need to know how to get to the desert and what to expect there. What are you going there for anyway?" The scholar sighed, eyeing the two of them irritably.

"Arbiter's Grounds."

"Isn't that a prison?" Ashei asked, staring at Sheik in confusion.

"It hasn't been put in use in over a century." Shad interjected, frowning.

"So why do we have to go there?" The Hero asked, blinking at him. Sheik met his gaze, his glare very clearly communicating that he'd answer questions later.

"Alright, we're going to the Arbiter's Grounds. Let's figure this stuff out." Without another word the Hero began passing everyone books.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

They spent all day reading, Sheik writing down what they needed to know in a blank notebook Shad had been thoughtful enough to give him. And Link wasn't sure Shad _had_ given it to him-in any case, Sheik found one that belonged to Shad and more or less stole it. It was fair, considering what Shad was making them do.

Sheik was furious-he'd gone downstairs after shooting Link a look that could probably kill and hadn't said a word about it.

Shad needed to get to Kakariko. They'd be taking him. And then they'd head to Lake Hylia and find Auru, because Telma had found a note saying that's where he was and to send 'the boy and the Hero' after him when they were ready to go to the Gerudo Desert. They'd be half a month behind schedule, not counting however long they spent in Kakariko.

_New_ Kakariko.

"What is he?"

"Hmm?" Link looked up from the book he'd been reading-well, not really reading, but glaring at. Shad was leaning on the table, blue eyes intent.

"What is he? Sheik, I mean. Undead don't like Hylians and _how_ in Nayru's name does he know so much about _everything_?!"

Oh. Link would have to tell Sheik to keep his mouth shut, if they were traveling with him. Sheik had made constant corrections to whatever he'd read or heard them saying-it was bound to be suspicious, when they were reading material on things that had probably been lost _before_ Din's Wrath. Or the Fracturing, as Sheik called it.

"'Cause he knows everything. Except for how to be nice, but I'm not gonna say that in front of him." Link snorted, scribbling down a few random words from the book to make Shad think he was busy.

_Lots of sand. Things called Moldorms, burrow in sand and lunge out to attack. Edible. Gross._

"But what _is_ he?"

It spoke volumes for everyone's impression of Sheik that no one tried to stop Shad from prying. They didn't trust him at all-it wasn't surprising, but, still.

"He's my guide."

"Link-"

"That's all you need to know. It isn't important. He's an ally and that's it. That simple. And if he knows you're poking around in this stuff he's going to be beyond angry, and that's something I'd rather avoid. Just trust that I trust him and leave it at that, alright?"

"Do you even know anything about him, hun?" Telma asked-and Link let himself relax, slightly, because she was just concerned, worried.

"That's the problem, isn't it?" He said it before he'd fully thought about it. She eyed him strangely, but he entirely meant it. Sheik was paranoid and distrustful and scared, because they couldn't take the blame for their mistakes and try to make amends for them. Because they chose to ignore what they did. And because of that, Link was in the dark-he barely understood what the Sheikah were. How was he supposed to understand one of them when he hadn't even known they were a race-or that they'd existed?

"I think Link's right." Ashei's voice startled him, and he looked over at her.

"He lied. But not about not wanting to kill Link. If he really wanted to, he'd be trying to befriend us so we wouldn't suspect anything, yeah? And he's honest about the training. Link does need it. It doesn't mean we aren't going to pry, but I think you're as safe with him as you are with us. And I do think that he'd kill you if you keep poking around in this, Shad, yeah? I'm going to bed. Safe journey." She stood as she spoke, and ruffled Link's hair as she made her way downstairs. He scowled and yanked his cap out of his belt, tugging it back on. She'd promised she wouldn't poke at his hair if he took it off.

"But-the reading!"

"Sheik left. It means you got all you need. And he probably took a couple books anyway, yeah?"

Shad's face drained of blood, and it greatly amused Link. He hid his smile by sweeping up the book he'd been writing in and the book he'd been reading-both slim volumes.

"Night. And, Shad, seriously. Let it be. As a favor to me."

He didn't look over his shoulder as he followed Ashei downstairs. She disappeared into the first door to the left, shutting it firmly behind her. Link hesitated outside of the room he and Sheik had been given, hand an inch away from the doorknob, before stepping back and walking into the training room.

Sheik was slumped in a corner, a fan of books and papers spread out before him and cloak firmly wrapped around him. A wooden stave lay discarded off to one side, covered in white powder. The barrel-filled with chalk, as he'd discovered the day before-was lidless, the wooden circle leaning against its side. Link approached quietly, and settled cross-legged in front of Sheik. His red-eyed companion appeared to be sleeping. He hesitated briefly, then carefully picked up a book with a pencil resting on it, making certain that the piece of wood and charcoal didn't make noise when it hit the ground.

_…__Notes on 'Ooccoo', ancient avian race. Bird in Seventh-? Never found, thought Skull Kid killed. Ask Hero. Maybe where another shard is? Avoid Fourth. Would have felt if shard was in Ninth. Ancient Sages were buried in Arbiter's Grounds to hold him. The Traitor there? Will see. Probably too powerful right now. Ask if they sense other shards, try anyway. Maybe he's alive._

Sheik's handwriting was small but neat. He wrote in an ancient sort of dialect, though. Link could read it only because Sheik was writing so informally. But what was the Traitor? The Fourth and the Ninth must have been other Temples, like the Seventh was the Temple of Time. And who was 'he'?

Link set the book back down in its place, replacing the pencil. Sheik's eyes were open, studying him emotionlessly.

"I'm sorry. About Shad. And I'm sorry for having to escort him to Kak-New Kakariko. I tried to tell him to back off but I don't think he will."

"So he's dangerous." Sheik's voice was hoarse, and Link realized that as exhausted and as sore as he was, Sheik was too. A flicker of guilt burned in the back of his mind-if he wasn't so incompetent, Sheik wouldn't be so tired.

"I don't think he'll do anything that would hurt you. Or anybody. I think he just likes knowing. Are you going to sleep out here tonight?"

"Not if you promise to be quiet." Sheik murmured, letting out a sigh as he began gathering up the materials.

"I promise. Are we going to train with Shad there?"

"…No. There's something I need to do. Maybe after." Sheik's gaze grew tentative, distant.

"Are you leaving?" The alarm in his voice surprised him, and doubly surprised Sheik. They sat there, looking at each other for a moment before Sheik slowly shook his head.

"No. After you make a camp for the night, I'll just…wander."

"How come?"

"Things to do you can't witness. And unless I'm physically exhausted, I either have nightmares or can't sleep, and neither would help you in any way."

"Why?" Link asked softly, taking most of the load from Sheik. A humorless laugh greeted his question.

"When you've seen as much death as I have, when you've watched nearly everyone you've ever cared about cut down in front of you, you don't sleep easy."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The Hero caught his glare and mouthed an apology that Sheik _did_ acknowledge as honest. That didn't make him any less annoyed.

They'd woken earlier and gathered all of their things while Shad had gone to find a horse. Everything was packed and waiting for the scholar to return-except Midna.

Link had insisted that he not use magic, but two hours searching had resulted in nothing but Telma constantly bothering them-poking around at shadows wasn't the most comforting sight. He was sick of it and wanted to leave as soon as possible. His hold on his anxiety was slipping the longer Midna remained missing, and he had no desire to test how long he could hold onto his composure.

Sheik tugged at his core and reached a thin tendril of magic out, looking for traces of Midna's peculiar power. A purr from behind him made him turn. He found the cat, Louise, curled up on the bar table. His eyes narrowed on the feline and he cast a thread of magic around it.

Something slid into his core, something at first cool and then blazing with Light, searing at Veran's magic, burning his away.

He hit something hard, heard a cry escape him as he clawed at his chest, frantically trying to push it out-

"_Midna!"_

And them something-something dark-

-he screamed-

-she was screaming with him. Was she? There were two voices, one furious, one in pain. And then his, fighting, pushing her out, pushing _them_ out-

His fingers curled around something frigid, something made solely out of Shadow magic. She was gone. _They_ were gone.

He was slumped against the bar. The Hero was kneeling in front of him, one hand braced against his shoulder and the other keeping the object firmly in his grip. Louise was mewling loudly, butting his hip almost frantically. He'd somehow yanked his cowl down.

"Where's…?"

"I've got Midna. Are you alright? What happened?"

"No. The other one." The Hero's eyes went wide, but before he could respond the trapdoor burst open and Ashei scrambled up, sword drawn.

"What happened?"

"Ah, can you give us a minute? Nothing, we just…found what we were looking for. I promise, we'll be fine, Ashei." Sheik squeezed his eyes shut, fingers tightening around the object in his hand as he tried to order his thoughts. He heard the trapdoor close, though, and felt the Hero relax.

Midna had tried to enter his shadow from Louise. But the other-

"Zelda."

His head snapped up, eyes opening.

"Zelda's hiding inside Midna. That's why she can take a physical form outside of the shadows. Are you alright?"

"Princess Zelda was-" Sheik shuddered and reached out to his core, checking it carefully for any sort of bond.

He muttered a prayer of thanks to Lanayru when he found that there were none.

"Sheik? Are you alright?"

"I thought…I'm fine." His voice shook, thought he doubted the Hero could hear his relief. Being bound to a member of the Royal Family would be disastrous-for both himself and his people.

"Are you sure?" Sheik didn't answer. Rather, he tugged his hand free of Link's and uncurled his fingers, looking at the object in his hand.

Its magic was bound tightly to the Hero, and it hummed gently for him as Sheik turned it over. It was solid Shadow magic, red symbols burning deep below its onyx surface.

"Zant cursed me too. Midna found a way to use it to our advantage." The Hero whispered softly, plucking it from his hand and putting it away-taking care to not let it touch his bare skin. Sheik let his now empty hand fall on Louise's head, stroking the cat's soft fur. She climbed into his lap immediately.

"Can you stand?"

"Probably."

"Are you going to try?"

"No."

"I'll talk to Midna later, alright?"

"How? The scholar will be here."

"Damn-fine. Midna? Get out here."

The Hero shifted, pushing his weight into Sheik's shoulder for an instant while his shadow flowed across the ground, lifting and bubbling until she appeared. Sheik almost pushed the Hero's hand off, but his hands were still shaking and he had no desire to let the Hero know that.

She stared at him, eyes just as wide as his had been. Her eyes were far lighter than they had been before, nearly blue, and her crown was slightly askew.

"You were dying."

"No. Just almost dying." He sighed, letting out a soft wince as Louise began kneading his stomach.

"I was-_she was_-killing you."

"Light magic doesn't like us. Usually. You wouldn't have killed me." The tone he took felt alien-to be comforting another outside of Veran and Skull Kid and occasionally Majora…

"She has the Triforce of Wisdom. She would have killed you."

"The power of the Triforce is not Light, it is just holy. Zelda can use it to amplify her own magic, if she wants. If she would have done that I would have been dead. Just…don't try to do it again, while you hold her in you. And even after, your magic will be drastically altered." He sighed, pushing his bangs out of his eyes as he looked down at Louise. Midna's eyes slowly darkened, losing the blue to their depths.

"Are you a priest?" The Hero's question broke the silence that had fallen over them, and Sheik blinked up at him for a moment, surprised. The trapdoor began to lift up and Midna disappeared.

"No."

Ashei appeared, Telma following behind her.

"What is going on up here? I hear somebody screaming and Ashei tells me to-" Telma stopped, staring directly at him, and Sheik scowled as he tugged up his cowl. Louise hopped off of his lap and padded over to her, purring.

"We found what we were looking for." The Hero declared, rocking back on his heels as he let go of Sheik's shoulder. Sheik rearranged his cloak, gaze moving to the door when the handle began turning.

Shad stumbled in, carrying a pack on his back that must have weighed far more than he did-not that Sheik was one to talk. He probably weighed a quarter of what the pack did.

"Alright. Ready."

"You're carrying all of that." Sheik said, eyes narrowed as Shad looked at him.

"It's essential to my research! I can't leave-"

"I don't care what you leave or what you take, but you will take care of your belongings." Sheik said curtly, cutting him off.

"Be nice to our boys, you hear me? Take care. Stay safe." Telma said, putting her bulk between the two of them as she hugged Shad, and then the Hero. Ashei approached him and he looked up at her, expression clearly saying that he had no intention of either getting up or touching her.

"If Shad doesn't get there safely I'll hunt you down, yeah?" She said, offering a serious smile as she looked down at him. He let out a soft laugh, standing.

"His notes are surprisingly…exact. Wrong, most of the time, but I'm impressed. We'll have need of him later."

"You talk a lot about that, of needing people alive for what they can do." She replied, voice just as quiet as his.

"Reassurance."

She looked to him, raising an eyebrow.

"For you. If you know he's needed you're less likely to try to kill me for the time being. And I don't plan on being around here when he's no longer of use."

"That's the most terrible reasoning I have ever heard." She snorted. Sheik shrugged.

"Are you ready, Sheik?" The Hero approached, hoisting a bag over his shoulder. He nodded and raised his hood, following them. He felt Ashei's eyes on him, even after the door had closed behind them.

He gripped the Hero's arm tightly, ignoring his startled look, and held his breath as they plunged into the crowd.

He loathed the city. It was loud, disgusting, crowded, and he didn't have enough space or enough eyes to feel even _slightly_ secure. Shad seemed entirely ignorant of his discomfort, constantly stopping to look at something or other off to the side. The Hero eventually resorted to propelling Shad through the crowd like a battering ram. By the time they reached the gate, Beth's lantern was shining brilliantly beneath his cloak.

"Is this the gate?"

"Yes, they're waiting right-_hey!"_ Shad very nearly fell on his face when the Hero pushed him through one of the open double doors.

Sheik let go of the Hero's arm only once the Hero had closed the gate behind them. Tied to a post that hadn't been there when they'd entered the city was a horse. The Hero wandered over to where it was grazing and plucked something off of the ground, raising it to his lips. A high, wavering note pierced the air and Sheik watched curiously as the Hero played a three note tune, repeating it once before crumpling whatever it was he held and tossing it aside. The tune sounded familiar to Sheik, though he couldn't recall where he had or would have ever heard it before.

The Hero turned to him and paused, eyes suddenly growing solemn for a second. Sheik followed his line of gaze, but he saw nothing besides a half-crumbled stone set against Castle Town's wall.

"What was the purpose of that?" Sheik asked, slowly approaching. It was a frond of strangely shaped grass that the Hero had blown into.

"You haven't met Epona yet, have you? I've used the whistle to call her for…Well, ever." The Hero shrugged as the horse in front of him suddenly perked up, head swinging around. Another moment passed before Sheik recognized the sound of hooves drumming against the earth, and he instinctively tensed, drawing a weapon and scanning the surroundings for the source.

A chestnut colored horse turned the corner of the wall-Sheik hadn't realized how prominently it curved-and slowed in speed once it saw the Hero, until it trotted up to him and butted its nose against his cheek. He grinned, reaching up and stroking the animal.

"Sheik, this is Epona, Epona, this is Sheik." Sheik put his weapon away and hesitantly approached, eyeing the animal warily as it turned its gaze to him. It nickered softly and moved over to him, pushing itself against him affectionately.

"How are you so good with animals? You're the most unfriendly person I've ever met." The Hero asked, the amusement in his voice obvious. Sheik glared at him and patted the horse awkwardly, still uncomfortable with it.

Shad moved past him and untied his animal, loading his pack onto it before scrambling gracelessly onto its back. Once he'd straightened, he glanced around.

"Where's your horse?" The question was directed at Sheik. He scowled again when the Hero turned to face him, eyes widening.

"How could we have forgotten?"

"I am not riding a horse."

"Then how are we going-"

"You can't, can you?" The Hero asked, an amused smile on his lips.

"No."

"Then c'mon. You can ride with me."

"I'm not-"

"Yes, you are. You want to get this over with and Epona isn't going to kill you, I promise."

"Hero-"

"I have to win an argument sometime, Sheik."

The horse butted its head against him again and Sheik reluctantly nodded his head. The Hero swung himself up onto the animal's back and Sheik pulled himself up behind him, wrapping one arm around the Hero's torso tightly.

"I'm going to kill you."

"I know."


	9. Shadow Traveling

Sheik threaded his magic around Veran's blood, repeating the incantation she'd written down for him as the Bleeding Eye on his chest brightened in color, slowly.

She'd known she was going to die, and it hurt to see how prepared she was. Spells she hadn't had the chance to teach him down, explanations of his bond to Beth, and how to complete duties for preparing the Trials for other Sheikah had been written down for him. Everything he would ever need to know, she'd been sure to preserve.

He wished she would have told him.

He'd wandered far enough away from the camp to not be seen or heard by the Hero or Shad-or the horses, for that matter-but close enough to see them.

He finished the incantation with a gasp and tumbled off of the rock he'd been perched on, clutching his stomach as agony flared along his flesh. He hit his shoulder hard enough to bruise it and knocked the puddle of his clothing off the stone as well, scattering it in the grass around him. He squeezed his eyes shut and let out a muffled curse, staying absolutely still.

It was a cool night, and the dew on the grass helped soothe the burning on his chest. Far below him, the Ninth's magic shuddered, and he let his power pour into its web, soothing the restless dead. Beth materialized-he felt her settle on his back.

They didn't talk. They never did. According to Veran, that was to be expected-their souls were far more closely tied than bonds like this usually made them, and so there was no need to speak. He was uncomfortable with it, when he thought too deeply on it-it sounded far too much like a bond.

Lokomo blood flowed in his veins, and that blood allowed him to bind his soul to another _living_ being-all Sheikah could swear an Oath to the dead. Only Lokomo could swear an Oath to the living. It was never voluntary.

"Sheik? Are you alright?"

He let out another curse but fought the urge to sit up-the last thing he wanted was for the Hero to see the mark. He moved an arm under his head and turned it so that his cheek was resting on his arm, glaring up at the Hero.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"Shouldn't you?" The Hero replied, settling on the grass beside him.

"What do you want?"

"Do you need help?"

"Why would I need help?"

"You really have to ask?"

Sheik's eyes narrowed and he scowled at him. He was far from comfortable, lying so exposed in front of the Hero. So many of his scars had come from Hylians, and the Hero was so curious-he didn't want to answer any of the questions that the sight of the scars would raise.

"Where'd you get these?" He asked softly, leaning against a nearby rock. Beth got off of Sheik and floated over to the Hero's shadow. Midna appeared after a moment and the two of them wandered off, though not before Midna ordered the two of them to behave.

"Fighting. Mostly. Skull Kid isn't the most forgiving of creatures, and Veran...was very serious in training. Though her skills at healing were unparalleled-without her I'd be crippled by now."

"Is it a custom to mark yourself or something?"

"Why would you think that?" Sheik snorted.

"'Cause there's so many of them. And some of them are way too straight to be accidental."

Sheik's glare deepened and he decided he didn't care about the tattoo or the questions it would raise anymore-he was tired of having to look up at the Hero. He pushed himself up, swearing softly as he snatched up a nearby bandage and beginning to wind it around his arm.

"What has your life been like, Hero?" His voice was softer than he intended it to be. His companion shifted uncomfortably for a moment.

"Peaceful. In Ordon, anyway. The only thing to worry about then was the occasional wolfos pack hunting down the goats and keeping the younger kids out of Faron woods. And not annoying Ilia to the point where she stole Epona. And then all three of those things happened at once and when they got resolved a Moblin horde attacked and kidnapped all the little kids, and Ilia. They beat me until I passed out and left me-I still don't know why. When I woke up they were long gone, and I ran to Faron woods looking for them. There was a wall of Twilight-didn't know what it was or anything-and I went to poke at it when a hand reached out and dragged me in. Midna claims that it wasn't her but she lies a lot, so…" The Hero shrugged, though he still cast a wary look towards the direction Midna and Beth had wandered.

"I never hated anyone until I met Midna. And with the curse…I wanted to kill her. For so long, I just…And we broke the curse, and found the kids-not that Ilia remembers who I am or anything. Do you know how lonely it is, doing all this by myself? Running across Hyrule and _constantly_ saving everyone? Zant tried to kill her. He nearly succeeded-she was dying, and he cursed me again and…She's the only reason I haven't lost it yet. Up here, I mean." He waved a hand by his ear as he spoke, eyes pained.

"I know it probably isn't much compared to what you've gone through and I know I'm lucky and all that. And I'm glad it hasn't been worse-the kids could have been dead, Midna could have died, I could have been stuck in the cell forever. I just…Midna went after the Fused Shadows at first, and I saw what they did to people-the leader of the Gorons became a monster that attacked his own people, I've seen her almost lose control. I don't know what these Mirror shards are going to do, I just know that they've got to be worse. I can't keep seeing this, good people corrupted by these ridiculous pieces of stone and metal."

"Don't say that." Sheik muttered, shifting uncomfortably as the Hero handed him a bundle of bandages that had landed near him.

"Don't say what?" He asked, looking up at him.

"How many people do you think could survive what you've been through? How many people could watch everything they love and believe in fall apart around them and have the strength to fight back? Take the word of a stranger as an absolute truth, not once, but twice? I am probably the most hateful Sheikah in all Hyrule, and I haven't killed you."

"That's 'cause you need me."

"Doesn't mean anything. I'd have killed you if I hadn't known Veran was in trouble. I doubt any of the others would have thought that far ahead."

"Because I'm Hylian?"

"Because you're a Hero. Because you wield the Master Sword. Because you are the Bearer of the Triforce of Courage."

"Why?" His eyes were solemn, and Sheik met them readily.

"Who do you think inspired an entire country to massacre its own? Only a figurehead that was in every right a Hero to the people, someone who they loved so dearly they would follow to the depths of the Dark Realm. If he would have asked them to destroy the Goddesses they would have obeyed. Instead he asked them to hunt us down."

The blood drained from Link's face very quickly, and Sheik felt the weight of the centuries he hadn't lived weigh heavily on his shoulders.

"Being chased out of Hyrule would have been painful, but we could have lived with it-we'd expected it for centuries. Hylians aren't comfortable around those who can manipulate death and we don't hide what we do. Instead we were literally hunted down. Herded and strung up like trophies, captured, sold…I've seen preserved corpses, eyes worn as jewelry. For decades after the Fracturing, it was considered fashionable for nobles to have a Sheikah pet. And the Gerudo were treated the same as we were. At least they were offered reasons as to why. Their king had angered the Royal Family and…It was common for Gerudo to have red eyes, you see." His fingers brushed the corner of his eye as he spoke, a bitter smile touching his lips.

"I used to leave the Grove. When I was younger. After Malladus died I did it a lot-maybe I was just hoping for a fight, I don't know. I hadn't completed my training and I was nowhere near the level of a warrior that Veran was, not that that meant much-we're trained from birth in our arts. So I won the fights, though I paid for them. So yes, those scars were carved intentionally." He began wrapping his stomach, letting out a soft hiss as his chest burned. The Hero had been handing him bits of cloth as he'd spoke, and he was mostly dressed now.

"How'd they hold you down?" The question was quiet, hesitant. Sheik looked up, meeting the Hero's eyes from below his bangs.

"Our bones are hollow. Fragile. If a bone breaks and isn't properly cared for immediately, we could lose all function in that limb very easily. Threaten to break a Sheikah's bones and they'll stop struggling." He spoke just as carefully as the Hero had, glancing up at him. He looked unnaturally pale, but Sheik took the blame for that. He tugged his tabard on and pulled his cowl up, raking his fingers through his bangs and pushing them off to the side. The movement wasn't one typical of him-he did it to keep his fingers from tracing the two parallel scars running down his stomach. He doubted that the Hero had seen them, but he didn't want to take any chances.

"Was Malladus your father? You keep mentioning him and…I know she was your mother."

"Yes. I don't remember my birth parents. Don't care to."

"So you know who they were?" Sheik nodded slowly, studying the Hero. There'd been something in his voice…

"I don't. Nobody will tell me. Rusl says he was good friends with my father and that he swore he'd look out for me, and that's it. I've broken into Bo's office-he's the mayor-and looked at the records he's supposed to keep. There's nothing about me there."

"You might not have any." Sheik mused, shifting his legs beneath him into a more comfortable position. The Hero stared at him in disbelief. Sheik shrugged.

"How long has this Zant been fighting in the Twilight Realm? I can say all I want about Faron, but she never leaves Hyrule without a savior. If no soul suitable enough was going to be born soon, she could have placed you here. There are stories of a great tree whom she turned into a Hylian. She fabricated a life for the tree and he went off and saved Hyrule for her." The Hero's jaw dropped.

"So now you're telling me I'm a _tree?!"_

"No!" Sheik laughed, holding his hands up.

"I am saying she placed you here. Your memories are your own-She wouldn't dare dabble in the memory of anyone besides yourself."

"I refuse to believe that until I'm told otherwise by Farore herself."

"Most people would be upset by that." Sheik said, studying him intently. The Hero replied with a grin.

"Don't think so highly of yourself. That's _hardly_ the strangest thing I've heard this past year." He snorted, pushing himself to his feet. Sheik glanced around to see if he'd grabbed everything, then climbed back onto the rock he'd been sitting on before the Hero had arrived, scooping up Veran's things and replacing them in his bag.

"So what were you doing out here?"

He tied the flap of the bag tightly and shouldered it, glancing up at the Hero.

"Nothing that concerns you."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"_What?!_" Shad finally, predictably, exploded. He turned awkwardly around on his horse to glare back at Link. The outburst woke Sheik, who'd been dozing with one arm wrapped tightly around his stomach. The grip relaxed marginally.

"He's sulking." Sheik sounded tired when he spoke, raising his voice enough so that it would carry to Shad.

"About?"

"Who cares? Focus on-" Sheik broke off into a flurry of far more alert curses. Or, at least, Link assumed they were curses-they weren't in Hylian. Link craned his neck around and froze for a moment, spotting what Sheik had seen.

Hyrule Plain was mostly flat, save the massive canyons that Din's Wrath had created that tore gaping holes in the earth. It was tricky navigating a stable path around them, but the Bulbin pack racing towards them and their riders seemed to have no difficulty with it. Link reacted immediately, tugging his bow off of his back and turning as far as he could, stringing it and placing an arrow. Sheik slid off of Epona-the animals had stopped when Sheik had begun swearing-and yanked his cloak off, stuffing it into one of Epona's saddlebags. Link shot him a disbelieving look-all the fuss about hiding and he was just going to take the cloak off?-and shook his head before eyeing the approaching pack. He waited until he could make out the Moblins clinging to their backs and began firing. Shad was arguing with Sheik behind him-he didn't focus on what they were saying, but the anger in their voices registered.

"Sheik, get on."

"We won't make it to the village." Sheik warned, but he obeyed and took the bow from him.

"I want out of these narrow passages when they get here. Shad, run." Epona bolted before he'd finished speaking, startling Shad's horse into action.

"I hate you." The words were hissed from between clenched teeth. Link laughed, though the sound was strained-Sheik had an iron grip on his stomach.

"Take it out on the monsters."

"Those things are faster than Epona."

"Only for short bursts. There are some bombs in my bag. Light them and throw them at the Bulbins, will you?" Sheik let go of him after a moment and did as he'd asked. Link risked a glance over his shoulder when the first explosion went off, and grinned as the lead Bulbin reared up. It was speared by its companions-going far too fast to slow down so suddenly-and it toppled into one of the chasms with a scream.

Shad shouted something unintelligible and Link whipped his head around, tensing. He relaxed when they left the network of canyons, bursting out into a large field. Epona slowed to a halt as quickly as she could, and both he and Sheik burst into action. Link began tying bombs to the tips of his arrows and dropping them into his quiver as Sheik began ordering Shad around and dragging the horses off to the sides of the bridge, out of the danger of being immediately trampled.

The Bulbins were nearly on top of them when Link fired the first arrow, taking the lead monster in the side of the face. A hail of arrows answered his assault, and he dove out of the way as he scrambled to draw his sword and unhook his shield from his back.

Sheik darted past him, seemingly unfazed by the size of the creatures, and Link promptly lost sight of him.

He somehow managed to get back onto Epona and began hacking at the Moblin riders, shooting arrows when he got enough space between himself and the monsters.

It wasn't that large of a pack, to be honest, and Link was experienced at fighting them. The battle didn't last too long before the monsters were all dead or fleeing and the Bulbins rider-less. They were docile once they weren't being ridden, and they began snuffling around Epona when he slid down from her back.

"Sheik?"

"…Over here." Link pushed his way around a particularly stubborn Bulbin and froze. Sheik was hanging by his fingertips from the ledge of the bridge they had crossed.

"Dear Farore, how'd you get down there?"

"I jumped."

"_What?!"_

"I saw something. Go get a rope."

"But-"

"Just go get a rope!"

It was entirely beyond him why he obeyed. Epona had found Shad's horse and was grazing by it. Shad himself was sitting between the two of them, looking pale.

"Are you alright?"

"I think so." Shad's voice shook. Link raised an eyebrow at him but didn't push. He found a rope in one of Shad's saddlebags.

"What are you doing?"

"Sheik jumped off a cliff. He wants a rope."

"_What?!_"

Link was already shoving his way through the Bulbins-and frankly, he was more concerned with Sheik not falling to his death than Shad's questions.

Sheik was not where he'd left him.

"Sheik! Where in Farore's name-" He hit the ground, leaning out over the edge.

"Throw the rope down." Sheik was hanging down a few feet on a ledge barely big enough for his fingertips. Link panicked, tying one end of the rope to a nearby Bulbin's tusks and throwing the rest of it down towards Sheik.

"I'm going to murder you in the most painful way possible when you get back up here."

"How motivating." Sheik began lowering himself farther down into the chasm. Link watched anxiously, until Sheik suddenly went rigid.

"You alright?"

"Is there a map of Hyrule in your bag?"

"Ah, no. I gave mine to Luda. So it's waiting in Kakariko."

"Can you remember this location?" There was a sort of urgency to Sheik's voice that Link had never heard before, even in the Temple of Time.

"Probably. What'd you find?" Sheik didn't reply, but began climbing up. Link met his gaze for a second, saw a deep-set terror in those crimson orbs. Sheik reached the lip of the chasm and Link helped him over, holding on tightly to his arm when Sheik tried to pull away.

"I have to-I have to go." It startled him how deeply his terror ran when Sheik said that.

"Where?"

"There's something wrong with the Ninth-"

"_Sheik_."

He stopped his rambling and finally looked at Link. The lantern at his hip was burning-not blazing like it usually did, but flickering unsteadily. Beth hadn't appeared yet, which Link supposed was a good sign.

"C'mon. You don't know Hyrule. We don't have a map. You have no idea where you're going to go. We'll go to Kakariko and then figure out where we're going from there." He was incredibly relieved that he kept his voice steady. Sheik shook his head, though.

"You can't. Not into the Ninth."

"Can't what?"

"You can't enter the Ninth. You can't know where it is."

"So I won't, alright? You don't have to tell me or show me or whatever. But I'm your friend, Sheik. I'm not going to _not_ help you." He received a cold, hard stare for his words, but after a moment Sheik tugged himself free of his grip and gathered up the rope-it had trailed away behind the Bulbin it was tied to as they'd talked-and silently heading back to the horses. Letting out a soft breath, Link followed. The Bulbins had mostly dispersed, and Shad was staring at the two of them intently. Sheik ignored the stare, but tossed him the coil of rope.

"You're alive?"

"Do you have to ask?" Shad snapped back, scrambling to his feet and stuffing the rope away.

"C'mon. If we hurry for the rest of the day, we can reach Kakariko near nightfall tomorrow." Link sighed, pulling himself up onto Epona.

"Everything will be locked up then." Shad protested, struggling aboard his own animal.

"The sooner we get rid of you, the better." Sheik snapped back, patting Epona before climbing on. He left the cloak off-now that Shad had seen his attire there wasn't really a point to the hiding, until they reached Kakariko. _New_ Kakariko. A thread of anxiety touched Link. He had no idea what would happen when they got there. He knew Renado knew a lot of lore-he'd heard the kids, especially Colin, talk endlessly about it when he visited. Sheik's paranoia was rubbing off.

"Renado isn't mean. He'd open up the door for us. And we can go visit the Gorons if we need to. Quit stalling, Shad. Sheik's going to suffocate me at this rate."

Sheik loosened his grip slightly and they started out.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

For the first time since Veran had died, Sheik pulled his lyre out. He could feel eyes on him-both the Hero and Shad were awake. He held the instrument carefully, letting himself relax as he settled into a more comfortable position.

"This is so much better than a story." The Hero cackled, earning a glare from Sheik. He was entirely unfazed by it and was leaning against a fallen log beside Shad, twisting something around in his hands repeatedly. Sheik hadn't meant for this to be a sort of performance. The scholar had been asleep when he'd pulled it out-the Hero had woken him. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to make it memorable.

"Unsheathe the Master Sword."

The Hero's eyes went wide and he set whatever he was playing with down on the ground, doing as Sheik had asked.

"Now what?"

"Set it down." The Hero looked mystified, but set the blade down on the ground between the two of them. It was too warm for a fire, but Beth's lantern lit the area around them with its black light.

Sheik hesitated a moment before playing the song, hoping that he was playing it correctly-it had been years since he'd last done this.

Halfway through the song, the Master Sword began to shine a faint lavender-sky blue light, letting out a gentle hum. The Hero scrambled back, eyes wide, and the scholar let out a soft curse. By the time Sheik drew the song to a close, it was glowing from the tip of the blade to the end of the hilt. The Hero hesitated a moment and carefully touched the blade, wrapping his fingers around the hilt and lifting it up. The light began to die, slowly, until the Master Sword looked the same as it had before, save that it seemed to shine brighter.

"Sweet Nayru…" Shad breathed.

"What's it called? The song, I mean." The Hero asked.

"I don't know. It was ancient even in Malladus' time. I believe it had something to do with the very first Hero and the forging of the Master Sword, but the blade's reaction is the only proof of anything."

"_You don't know something?!_"

"I'll put it away, Hero."

"No! I'll be quiet. I promise." He settled back down quickly, lying the Master Sword across his knees and snatching up the object he'd been playing with earlier. Sheik watched him intently for a moment before deciding that the Hero would behave, and began playing the first song that came to mind-an ancient song personifying the Dark Realm. By the time he finished that song Shad had fallen asleep.

His gaze met Epona's, the horse having wandered over, and an idea struck him.

The three notes that the Hero had whistled, made far more complex, created a song that startled the horse. She pranced over to him and butted his shoulder, letting out a neigh. The Hero looked amused, and grinned when the horse looked over at him.

"What are you going to call that?"

"Epona's song?" The horse huffed, its hot breath ruffling his bangs.

"Now you're just sucking up."

"It isn't my fault your horse likes me better than you." The Hero's expression went flat as Sheik reached up and stroked Epona's nose.

"I resent that." Sheik smirked and began putting his lyre away.

"Where'd you learn to play?" The Hero asked, after a brief silence.

"I taught myself. Used to listen to Veran sing those songs. Skull Kid would try to figure the notes out on its instrument, and I'd do the same. We'd play for Majora or for Veran. Malladus, before he died. Who taught you the grass call?"

"Rusl. Well, no, that's not technically true. Rusl and Bo can take a blade of grass and make a high pitched squealing noise. I had a lot of spare time on my hands when I was younger, so I experimented. Ilia convinced me to do the note thing. Why?" Sheik shrugged in response, and the Hero let a small smile touch his lips.

"Good night, Sheik."

"Wake me up and I will attack you."

It bothered him that a laugh was his only answer.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

He woke when he felt Epona come to a stop beneath him, blinking blearily. Sheik shifted, pushing him back, and winced softly as he slid down from the horse. Link grabbed the saddle to hold himself up and glanced around, relaxing once he recognized the buildings around them. Night had just barely fallen and the faint light of the sunset peeked out behind one of the lower mountains-night came early to Kakariko. _New_ Kakariko.

Link had spent most of the day teaching Sheik how to guide Epona, despite Sheik's vehement opposition to the idea. Once Sheik had proven he could take control without a disaster occurring-not that it would, as Epona knew full well how to handle herself-Link had fallen asleep.

It might not have been a good idea. Judging from the glare Sheik was leveling at him, he'd squashed him.

Link dropped down beside him and offered an apologetic grin. Sheik ignored it, digging into one of the saddlebags and yanking out his cloak. Shad climbed down sleepily and staggered over towards the hotel. Sheik followed, tugging his cowl up and looking around uneasily.

"All the Twili beasts are gone. Nothing's going to attack you. Except maybe Talo, but you can't kill him. He's eleven."

"Isn't helping."

"I'm not sure if I'm trying to." Link replied.

"Horses?" Shad asked, yawning. Link shrugged.

"Epona can take care of herself. She prefers it, in fact. I don't know about yours."

"I'll do it." Sheik sighed, heading back over to them.

"Thank you." Sheik didn't snap something back to Shad, which Link took as an improvement in their relationship as he knocked on the door. After nightfall the residents barricaded themselves inside their homes-Kids in the old hotel and Renado and Barnes in their respective homes, as Link understood it-and didn't open the doors until morning.

It was a habit that had kept them alive, after Twilight had taken Eldin Province-Twilit beasts had massacred most of the townsfolk, even when they were in the ghostly forms that Twilight cursed them with.

"Who is it?" Renado's voice, gravelly and heavily accented, called out from behind the wooden barrier. The accent had always bothered Link-Barnes didn't have one and neither did Luda. It wasn't native to Kakariko, yet Renado claimed he'd lived in the village his entire life.

"Me. And Shad. And-" The door opened, cutting him off. Renado stood alone in the main room of the hotel, and he offered them a smile as he stepped aside for them.

"There's another taking care of the horses." Shad yawned, trudging inside. Link regarded him with no small degree of amusement-Shad would be mortified that he hadn't properly introduced himself in the morning.

"Telma said it would just be the scholar coming." Renado said slowly, looking at Link as he closed the door.

"We're not staying. I mean, maybe for a few days, but we have to go do stuff."

"Ah. Then this stranger is with you?"

"Yeah."

"Good, good. She has done this before, sending one person and then others without warning me." Renado muttered sourly, pulling something from his pocket. It was a thick cloth envelope sewn shut, which made Link struggle to hide a smirk-Telma's relationship with Renado wasn't exactly the best kept secret. He'd seen the way they acted around each other and had heard enough stories from Ashei about the contents of the letters they sent to one another to know what went on. Renado vehemently denied it every time it was brought up, though, so he knew better than to point out that even Luda knew Telma wasn't really her 'aunt'.

"Show this to her when you return to Castle Town. It is for her eyes only, you see, but it might help us regain Ilia's memory." By now Link was familiar with Renado saying that, familiar with nothing happening. He accepted the letter with a tight sort of smile.

"So where are the kids?"

"_Ralis!"_

Link turned around in time to see a small Zora child stumble down the stairs, clinging to the railing tightly. The Zora shot a triumphant sort of look over his shoulder.

"Told you it's just the Hero."

"You're not supposed to be out of bed." Ralis, for all his bravado, still flinched at Renado's tone.

"Good to see you up and about." Link said, smiling. The Zora eyed him for a moment and then stepped down onto the floor.

"You protected us on our way here, didn't you?"

"Ah, yeah."

"Thank you." He stuck his hand out, posture suddenly very formal. Link grinned and knelt down, scooping the child into a hug. Ralis stiffened in surprise for an instant, then hesitantly relaxed.

"Anytime." Link murmured, letting him go.

"You all can come down now." He added, raising his voice slightly.

The kids came down immediately. Luda, Beth, Colin, Talo, and Malo scrambled downstairs as quickly as they could. Ilia came down a moment later and offered him a small, awkward smile.

"Sheik still hasn't come in." Shad commented, hugging Luda.

"He said he wanted to check out the graveyard earlier, so he's probably wandering around. If he's not back in the morning I'll go looking for him, but he can take care of himself." Shad nodded and headed upstairs with Luda. Ilia followed after him.

Colin tugged at his tunic and Link looked down.

"Who's Sheik?"

"He's a friend of mine. He's helping me. You should meet him tomorrow. So have you been behaving for Renado?"

"Yes."

"Will you tell us a story, Link?"

"Not tonight guys. I bet if you bother Sheik enough tomorrow, he'll tell you one."

"Does he know good ones?" Malo asked, folding his arms across his chest as he looked up at him.

"Better than mine."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Were they going to bed, Renado?" The shaman nodded, waving his hands towards the stairs.

"Yes. You can bother Link in the morning. Will you watch for your friend then?"

"Yeah. Good night, everybody."

Link dropped his bag onto the ground and sighed as he shrugged his weapons off. He kept them close, though, as he dropped into a chair by the door. There were a number of locks on it but he only slid the deadbolt into place-if Sheik didn't feel like knocking, Link was sure he'd find a way to break in.

And then he fell asleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**IMPORTANT~!**

**So another long-ass chapter for you. Next few will be slower-I'm having minor issues sorting stuff out. But, so I know I haven't explained some things like, bluntly, in the story, so here you go. NO SPOILERS BELOW. Don't worry.**

**The Fracturing/Din's Wrath- Each race has an element they were created from. Zora, water, Goron, fire, Hylians, time, ect. Time is more finicky and holy than the other elements, so when the Hylians started massacring others, it polluted the element. It didn't help that Link had already time traveled and severely injured the element, so everything began splintering. Hyrule itself (Think OoT map to TP map) reacted to that as Time spazzed out. Think of it like it boiled-bubbles appeared and warped Hyrule, then popped when the murders stopped and sort of calmed down. Not all of Time calmed down, though, and that's where the Seventh and the Ninth come into play. But Time didn't fix itself-it's still injured, come TP, and wants to heal itself and return to how it was pre-OoT, but it can't.**

**Distortions- spots where Time is still damaged. You can enter one and go a thousand years in the past or a thousand years in the future, and it flows differently than Time does outside-a year inside the Distortion might equate to a thousand outside or ten seconds outside might mean ten million inside. To survive them, especially if the shifts are major, one needs the blessings of a Goddess or incredible magic power-hence why Sheik prayed to Nayru. And Link has the Triforce, so that protected him.**

**The Seventh/Ninth/Ect- Temples consumed by Distortions. There are only NINE of them. The Sheikah and Gerudo hid in these, if they survived that long, as the Fracturing meant they were secluded from the rest of Hyrule. So Sheik and Veran and Malladus hid in the Temple of Time for twelve years, while five hundred passed outside of the Temple.**

**Pretty much everything else contains major-ass spoilers. I'll tell you if you PM and I'll answer questions in a PM, but I'm not gonna ruin it for everyone. And I'm so excited for the next few chapters~So much crap happens! And stuff is revealed! And people appear! GAH.**

**I'm really glad you guys like it so much-it means a lot to me ^^ Thanks so much for your kind words, and you're all very inspiring. x3**


	10. Shadow Missing

Sheik entered the building the Hero had vanished into maybe an hour before dawn would lighten the color of the sky. He left the attic and found himself in a hall with two rooms branching off of it, neither with a door. One appeared to be a bedroom with a multitude of beds, all occupied by sleeping figures-only one large enough to be an adult. The other was an infirmary, and the occupant of that room woke when he paused in the doorway.

A Zora child, liquid eyes wide as they stared at him. He knew he was a mess-dirt caked the bandages on his hands and he'd bitten his tongue so a thin trickle of blood ran down his cheek, his hair tangled-but there was no fear in the child's eyes. They stared at one another for a moment, silent, and then Sheik put a finger to his lips and moved out of the child's view, heading downstairs.

The Zora had more courage than most, to not be unnerved by him, Sheik found himself musing. Maybe more than the Hero. The thought amused him, and he found a slight almost-smile on his lips.

The Hero himself was sprawled out on an uncomfortable looking chair, unconscious. Sheik glanced around the room. It was dusty and hadn't been well-used in a while, unlike the upstairs. Broken crates and barrels littered the corners beside a few useful pieces of furniture, and the counter against the back wall had a collapsed beam crushing one end of it. There was another doorway, but Sheik was too tired to be bothered with its contents-the dead here had never been tended to properly and it had taken a long time to calm them all down and put them to rest. He found a pile of empty sacks and dragged them behind the counter, dropped down onto them, and fell asleep.

He woke a few hours later to Beth warning him of another's presence.

A young girl of about ten, dressed in pink clothes and with her hands on her hips, was standing over him.

"Are you Sheik?"

He sat up slowly, feeling acutely how sore he was.

"Yes."

"Link says you were in the graveyard."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Do _not_ answer that, Sheik!" The Hero's voice startled him-it was _almost _threatening. He grabbed the countertop and pulled himself up, raking a hand through his hair as he sagged against it. The Hero was still sitting in the same chair he'd been asleep in earlier. He had a plate of food now, though, and there was a small blonde-haired child settled on his lap, eating an apple.

"Are you drunk?" The girl demanded.

"No."

"You look drunk."

"I'm tired."

"Why?" Sheik glared at her and shifted his cloak, glancing down when he realized Beth's lantern was missing. He could still feel her presence in the back of his mind, and he knew she was close, but that didn't stop his panic. She was gone-and with the Ninth in the way it was…

"Hero, where's Beth?" The tension in his voice was so incredibly obvious even the blonde-haired child could sense it.

"I'm right here!" Sheik jumped at the shrillness of her voice, hand straying for a weapon by the time he realized what he was doing. The Hero burst out laughing and the child sitting with him startled giggling. Sheik pushed past the child and hurried out of the building-

-and Beth replied, sending an image of the graveyard to his mind. He caught the porch railing and hung there, bent over it as he let out a breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"Sheik? You alright?" Link leaned against the railing beside him, hesitantly touching his arm. He shifted away, pushing himself off the wood.

"Tired. Frustrated. S-Stop talking to me. Go away."

"Sheik-"

"Away. Now. Leave."

He was rattled, and he knew the Hero knew. He couldn't hide it.

He'd found part of the Ninth on the plains, after the Bulbin attack. The Fracturing had divided the Ninth into segments all across Hyrule, though they were magically sealed. That didn't surprise him, though he hadn't been pleased to find one so close to the surface-that the Hero had asked no questions about it was a relief. The Ninth was secure, still. But someone or something was intentionally weakening its magic, expanding incredible amounts of magic to undo millennia worth of spells and bindings. At this rate the Ninth would be entirely undone in under ten years.

The worst part was that, in physically touching the Ninth's barrier, he'd put himself in direct contact with the dead buried within it. He'd heard their terror, their panic. Some wanted out so that they could find Sheikah to care for them. Some wanted free, to finish what the Sheikah had stopped them from completing. Some wanted to stop whatever was destroying the bonds.

The only thing all of them felt was a loathing for whatever was attacking the Ninth, a hatred so deep that even he could barely comprehend it.

"Hey, come on. Go get something to eat, and then we'll go find Beth. And then we'll go get the map from Luda. Alright? It's going to be okay." There was a long, tense moment when their gazes met, and Sheik knew the Hero could see his distress and knew he should get control of himself and knew he wouldn't be able to.

"Beth is in the graveyard. I just…The Ninth is…" He let out a breath and let the Hero pull him towards a clay house near the edge of the village. He dropped down onto the ground outside of it while the Hero entered, and accepted a plate of food from him when he reappeared. The Hero settled beside him, surprising him.

Sheik had absolutely no idea what anything on the plate was, but he ate it as quickly as he could, hoping to not taste anything-it wasn't that it was bad, he just preferred simple foods and whatever he was eating was spiced to the Sacred Realm and back.

"Beth-the girl you were talking to. Her name is Beth, that's why we laughed. I'm sorry. Colin was sitting with me. Malo and Talo are brothers, Malo's the little one-you'll know them when you see them. Luda is Renado's daughter. And Ilia's our age. She doesn't…She lost her memory a while back. So she'll probably try and hang out with you a lot. I make her uncomfortable, though she refuses to say it. And Ralis is the Zora. I think he's with Ilia right now."

"That's his name? He's brave."

"You met Ralis already?" The Hero asked, sounding amused.

"Not technically." Sheik corrected, inwardly wincing. He handed the Hero the now empty plate and stood, leaning against the wall of the house.

He forced himself to concentrate. He needed to clean up, get some sleep. Beth would be fine on her own. Then he could find the map and compare it with Veran's notes. Find the location of the Ninth in this Fractured Hyrule. Murder whoever it was that was destroying the Ninth. Find the mirror shards. Rid Hyrule of the corruption.

But in what order? The corruption was more of an imposing threat, at the moment, than the threat to the Ninth. But every bone within his body screamed for him to save the Ninth _immediately_.

"If you want a bath, there's a pool up behind the hotel-the building we were staying in. There are a couple Gorons up there and they'll probably keep anyone from going up there if you ask nicely enough. It's a hot spring, but I don't think it's connected to Eldin's spring, so you should be fine."

He let out a soft hum and pushed off the wall, absently unwinding the bandages from around his fingers, coming to a decision.

"Thank you, Hero."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It was easier to force open the shutters of a second floor window than it was to trek all the way back down the path, turn onto the main road, and then enter the building everyone was staying at.

Unfortunately, it also meant Sheik dropped into the infirmary, scaring a girl his age half to death and mildly startling the Zora child again. She shrieked and dropped the book she'd been holding, hand flying to her chest as she stumbled back a few steps.

The Zora child lying in the bed beside him stifled a laugh.

He cast both of them an irritated look. The Hero had been right about the pool, though it had been empty when he'd arrived, and he'd cleaned up well enough. He felt better, though he was still tired, and was properly dressed. So the fact that the girl continued to stare at him began to bother him-there was no reason for it.

She wasn't Hylian, which threw him for a moment, but when he thought back, none of the children had been Hylian either. Terminian, he realized, as he stared at her blunt, curved ears.

"Who are you?!"

"You are…Ilia?" Her eyes widened and she nodded.

"H-How-"

"The Hero."

He turned and reclosed the window, frowning to himself when he saw how many other buildings lay decaying around the village. The Hero had mentioned that this place had been attacked, but…Had that many of its people really died?

It upset him to dwell on that.

"How did you get here?" The Zora, Ralis, blinked at the sudden question, though it was phrased kindly, and Sheik dropped onto the foot of the child's bed. The girl gaped at him for another instant before fleeing down the stairs, leaving the two of them alone.

That was good. He wasn't sure how to get rid of her without upsetting the Hero, and so this worked far better and far more easily than anything he could come up with.

"You lost your mother too?" Ralis asked, leaning forward slightly and throwing the blanket off of his legs.

Sheik froze for an instant.

"How do…"

"Your eyes."

It was remarkably observant of Ralis to have noticed something so small, especially in one not of his own species, and Sheik eyed him with no small degree of curiosity.

"Yes." Sheik sighed softly, leaning back against the wall.

"I thought you were dead, when I first saw you. They're all Poes here, except for Mother, but Mother used to tell me about the Shadow Folk when I was little, and I know what happens when you die. And Link had said he had a friend named Sheik. But I thought you were all dead."

Sheik pushed the palms of his hands into his eyes and let out a deep breath as he slumped against the wall before daring to peek at the Zora child.

"I didn't think your people would remember." He laughed softly, his disbelief obvious.

"We're isolated. Even now. And you were our brothers. Are our brothers, I guess, if you're alive. A lot of our tales about you were lost, but enough remains. I think, anyway." Ralis corrected, offering a sheepish sort of smile. Sheik eyed him intently, mulling over everything the child had said.

The Zora remembered them. Their sister race remembered who, and what, they were. They told tales of them to their children. It warmed him, though he couldn't have explained why.

"You can see the dead?" Sheik asked, locking onto the child's earlier words.

Ralis nodded his head empathetically.

"Mother says it was because the dead had gone too long without being cared for so Nayru blessed me. That's why I know all the stories about you!"

"You're half-blooded, aren't you?" Sheik asked, gaze catching the boy's. Ralis nodded again, entirely unfazed by the question. It was remarkable that he wasn't upset by it, even stated so bluntly.

"My father was from Kakariko. He was buried here-Mother was buried next to him. I never knew him. I know he won our people's favor, that he was Hylian. But, anyway, that's why I'm still alive. I'd have died if Ilia hadn't have found me, and I'd have died by now if Mother hadn't have shown me her pool. It's the only water here that doesn't burn."

"Sensitive to temperature?" Sheik asked curiously. Ralis nodded again.

"I don't like the heat. Can I show you something?" Sheik nodded without thinking, and Ralis beamed as he grabbed his hand.

Sheik let the boy drag him out of the room and down the stairs, passing Ilia as she headed back upstairs with the child the Hero had said was named Beth.

"Ralis-!"

"You aren't supposed to be out of bed!"

"Will you be alright?" Sheik asked, glancing over his shoulder at the two of them as Ralis pulled him out of the door of the building-a hotel, the Hero had called it.

"I'm fine!" The reply was quick, forceful. Sheik raised a silent eyebrow at Ralis but didn't say anything-the child was probably sick of being treated as if he was made of glass. And Sheik was confident he could keep him safe, so he saw no problem with letting Ralis run around for a while.

Ralis led him through the graveyard, to a small tunnel hidden beneath dead brush at the very back. Its presence startled him-he'd thought he'd explored the graveyard in its entirety the night before.

"Through here." Ralis said, releasing his hand and squirming through. Sheik sighed and dropped onto his hands and knees, following. Ralis scrambled out and Sheik carefully pulled himself after the Zora, blinking as a bright, cool light flooded his vision.

"Dear Farore-Oh, sorry, Ral-Sheik? What are you doing?"

Sheik blinked, and his eyes widened in shock-not at the Hero's presence, but at the sight before him.

The three of them were sitting on a small circle of grassy earth at the edge of a crystalline pool. Across the pool from them was a fairly large alcove carved out of the mountain, containing an ornate gravestone. The mark of the Zora Royal Family was carved into its surface and what Sheik assumed were Zora glyphs ran in a curved line below the symbol. Ralis slipped into the water, leaving them just enough room to sit shoulder-to-shoulder.

"Ralis wanted to show me something." Sheik murmured, watching the small boy swimming below the surface.

"This is his dad's grave." Link murmured, turning something over in his hands. Sheik curiously looked down at it-it was a sort of helmet or mask made of a strange metallic stone and what appeared to be Zora scales. The Hero himself was soaking wet.

"What are you doing here?" Sheik asked, leaning against the rock wall behind him in an effort to avoid being soaked. Expression sheepish, Link ducked his head down slightly.

"There was a tunnel down at the bottom of the pool that was blocked off by some debris, so I blew it up." Sheik froze.

"You…"

"Blew it up. The current's really str-" The Hero's face drained of blood and he stopped speaking as realization finally dawned on him. Sheik was already on his feet, diving into the water.

He could feel the current tugging at his limbs even though he was across the pool from it immediately, and he pushed through the water as quickly as he could towards Ralis.

Ralis noticed him and grinned, moving effortlessly through the water toward him-and cut across the center of the tunnel. Sheik's hand snapped out and managed to snag the boy's outstretched hand-

-and the current caught him too.

He'd never swum in such deep water before, or in such a strong current. He managed to grab hold of a spur of rock with his free hand and he clung to it as tightly as he could, but he wasn't strong enough to pull either of them over it. He looked down at Ralis, catching the boy's terrified eyes.

He tugged slightly at Ralis' hand, and the boy froze for an instant before nodding and slowly reaching up, grabbing hold of Sheik's wrist with his other hand.

Air slipped past Sheik's lips, bubbling against his cowl, and panic flared within him. His lungs began to ache.

Ralis had his arms wrapped around his neck when something grabbed Sheik's wrist. The shock of it loosened his grip and sent the last of his breath racing past him, borne by the currents.

The grip on his wrist was iron. He forced his arm to move, to wrap around Ralis' waist, to keep the child secure, safe, before running through every possible way he could attack whatever was holding him.

His eyes were bleary with the rushing water, stinging painfully with its force, but he could see a green blur-the panic flickering and blazing in his chest lessened somewhat.

His gaze met the Zora's, and he flicked his eyes towards the Hero. Ralis obeyed immediately, and pulled himself up until he'd reached Link.

Ralis grabbed the Hero's arm and tugged, pulling himself forward-

-and slipped.

They both reacted instantly. Link let go of him and Sheik's arm snapped out, grabbing hold of Ralis just before the current could sweep him away.

And, unanchored by the Hero, the current swept the both of them away.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

He fought off his first instinct-to dive after both of them immediately-and scrambled back into Kakariko running at full speed.

Sheik had dropped his bag and cloak off beside Link's own things, and Link knew that wherever the tunnel led, it would be far away-the river that cut through Hyrule Field or Lake Hylia itself, maybe even the Zora's Domain. They wouldn't be coming back for a long while.

He gathered their things, and Luda's map, told Ilia that Sheik and Ralis were in trouble and needed his help, and stuffed everything into his own bag as he donned his Zora tunic.

It was his fault they were in danger. His fault Sheik was probably dead and that they were Farore-knew where. He hadn't thought about the consequences of his actions, and they were suffering as a result.

His horror, his guilt, his terror, clawed at his insides as he bolted through Kakariko, towards the graveyard.

"Link!"

He stopped, turning as Shad hurried to meet him.

"Link, there's something you need to know-about Sheik-"

"I told you not to dig, Shad." His voice was harsher than he'd intended it to be, but Shad just shook his head.

"No, please, just listen. He told Telma he was from beyond Death Mountain, but no one here has ever seen him before-he'd have to have passed through here because there's no other way through the mountains. And the only land beyond Death Mountain is the Four Realms, but he can't be from there-it's impossible!"

"Shad-"

"The Four Realms were isolated almost four hundred and eighty years ago! Something broke loose of its bonds and there's a magical shield around the entire country-nothing gets in or out and it's been like that since! There's no way that-"

_"__I told you to leave it be!_ I don't care what he told you, he's my friend. I trust him. He's none of your concern and nothing he does has anything to do with you. _Stay out of it_!" Link spun on his heel and resumed running for the graveyard, leaving Shad standing there.

Despite how angry he was, he did file what Shad had said away. He'd no idea what any of it meant, but generally things that made no sense to him made sense to Sheik and Sheik might want to know it.

He stumbled into the graveyard, glancing around briefly before remembering Beth, how terrified Sheik had been that morning.

-Beth. He needed to grab her before he left.

"Midna? Midna!"

She popped up around a gravestone that had remained most intact, unlike its brethren, looking disconcerted.

"I know you were with Beth-is she still-?"

"Yeah, but what's going on? She's upset and-"

"Shadow. Now. Can you grab her or-?"

"I've got her." Midna interrupted, vanishing. Link felt the faint, brief pressure of her entering his shadow, far heavier than usual-he knew Midna could hide physical objects in it, but nothing had been as heavy as this. Maybe because Beth was sentient?

He hesitated for another moment, tugging the Zora mask on his face-_how did Sheik stand wearing that damn cowl all the time?_-before scrambling through the tunnel and diving into the water.

He didn't know how much time he'd wasted, but he prayed he wasn't too late.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**So. Have you heard the good news?!**

**SHEIK IS BACK.**** Hyrule Warriors. KICKING ZELDA'S ASS.**

**I'm so excited-I can hardly believe how excited I am, literally~Found out yesterday while trolling Rooster Teeth's site for RWBY Vol. 2 premiere time, 'cause I checked my email and my friend reminded me that Nintendo released the new characters Monday. Seriously, the moment I saw the trailer for Hyrule Warriors I told my friend that if Sheik wasn't in it I would hate Nintendo forever. Even when they released that Midna was in it. I've been hearing rumors about Sheik for weeks, so finding actual conformation that he IS Back is !**

**Though I'm not sure I like his new look as much as I do his OoT outfit. I'm hoping they'll sell a skin pack for him~ :3**

**Well, I forgot to mention it last chapter (I think that's the chapter I'm thinking of) but the song Sheik played? If you haven't already guessed, it was Fi's Theme. More specifically, dj-Jo's remix of it because everything he does is incredible. LOL.**

**Well, the next couple of chapters sort of move fast. And then get confusing and a little trippy-I have to go rewrite chapter twelve afore I post it. But I'm excited to hear what you guys'll think of it ^^ And the 'Four Realms'? I'm 90% sure it's New Hyrule or something in Spirit Tracks, but I wasn't going to name it that. So bc you have the four different realms that you ride around in, you get a terrible name! :D But, ah, what do you think this means, Lol?**

**On another note, RWBY Vol. 2 Chapter 1 premiered yesterday at eight. And I've been waiting to watch this episode for MONTHS. It was SO worth the wait! Best food fight in the history of EVER, and Sun's expression was just AWESOME and I am SO shipping Mercury x Emerald. If I got their names right, that is. LOL My sister and I watched all the trailers and episodes of/for Volume 1 just before we watched chapter 1-it was so worth it x3. I'm so buying Volume 2 when it comes out.**

**BUT FIRST, I MUST GO BUY A WII U FOR SHEIK! I just-GAH! This is so awesome! HE'S FUCKING BACK! And the SSB Wii U bundle is out too, it's like, a hundred bucks. WAY cheaper than the Wind Waker bundle-my sister will be so happy. We can go preorder it now! If they're preordering it. Not sure yet, I will have to check.**


	11. Shadow Suspicions

He woke to someone crying quietly, and something plastered over his mouth, suffocating him. He clawed at it, bolting upright as he managed to tear it off of his mouth and gasping for breath.

His cowl. Sopping wet. He let go of it, letting the fabric coil around his throat. _Why was-?_

The tunnel. Ralis. Link.

"Sh-Sheik!" Something tackled his waist, sending him crashing back down onto the ground. A multitude of bruises elected to make themselves known then-caused by crashing into stone and other things Sheik was fairly certain had been alive.

He was alive. _How…?_

He moved slowly as he wrapped his arms around Ralis, hugging the child tightly as he let out a slow, shaky breath.

He remembered crashing into things, tumbling with the current. But, miraculously, he was whole. Not drowned. _How had he survived_?

"Where are we?" He murmured, sitting up and carefully pushing Ralis off of him as he looked around.

It was nighttime, the moon high in the sky. They were on a beach of some sort, cattails and lily pads and all number of marsh-like vegetation crowding the water's edge. A crushed trail led from the water to where he was sitting, a clear indication that he'd been dragged out of it. A fire crackled beside the two of them, and a fallen log rested across the flames from the two of them-a makeshift seat, he assumed. A glance behind him revealed a tall brick tower, a ladder hanging limply from one side, nearly swallowed by thick fronds of ivy. It was too small and far too thin to have a room inside of it. A watchtower of some sort?

"Lake Hylia." Ralis' voice was small, scared, and Sheik's gaze shot to the Zora's. The boy's eyes were wide with fear.

Footsteps sounded, and Sheik pulled himself to his feet as he took stock of his weapons. He'd lost all of his throwing needles, but his daggers were still there-though they were clearly outlined, as his clothes were plastered to his body. His core was strong, and he had ample magic to protect the two of them. He had no idea if his injuries were only bruises and they would hinder him if he were to get into a battle.

His tense posture relaxed slightly when he recognized the figure that emerged from the darkness. Auru.

The man's eyes were cold when they looked up at the two of them.

"You're awake. Good."

The words were followed by the hiss of a drawn weapon.

Sheik's arm shot out across Ralis' chest, and his eyes narrowed as his body went rigid. There was a long, tense silence as Sheik's studied the Hylian. All he could see was anger, hatred.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" He asked the question softly, slowly.

Auru let out a snort as he leveled a strange sort of mechanism at Sheik, something he couldn't get a good look at in the darkness, beside the hollow tube lit by firelight. A weapon, something that would shoot a projectile, he assumed.

"I thought you looked familiar in the bar. Those damn eyes of yours should've told me immediately. I hoped I was wrong, then you and the Zora washed up here. I'd have killed you and saved all of Hyrule by now, but I have questions that only you can answer." Sheik let out a slow breath, shocked by the venom in Auru's voice.

"Ralis?"

"Sh-Sheik-" He knelt down in front of the child, taking the Zora's face in his hands. The movement required putting his back to Auru, but he doubted it would prove fatal-if only because of Ralis' presence.

"I need you to run. Go to the Water Temple. The Hero's already restored it-there will be guards there that can protect you. Now."

"What about-"

"My problem. Not yours. You need to go now. Swim as fast as you can and don't stop for anything, alright?"

"But-"

"Promise me." Ralis squeezed his eyes shut tightly, fists clenching.

"Ralis, _now."_ The child nodded and, casting one last terrified look at Auru, Ralis bolted into the water.

"That's the child Ilia was caring for." The Hylian said coolly, as Sheik stood. Sheik tilted his head in acknowledgement of the comment, but didn't elaborate.

"I promised the Hero that I wouldn't kill you, and I really don't want to break that promise. That said, if you even think about firing that at me, I will not hesitate to do so." He didn't realize until he'd said it that it was true, and that realization seemed strange to him. Two weeks ago, one week ago…He wouldn't have cared what he'd said to Link.

Auru let out another snort.

"What's your plan? Tricking Link into thinking you're on his side and then killing him when he's got his back turned? He doesn't even know there's a monster traveling with him!"

"If I was going to kill him I'd have done it before you knew I existed. And the Hero knows what I am. I don't think you do, though." He added, his disdain clear. Sheik didn't drop his guard as he slowly moved around the fire, until the tower was at his back. Auru moved with him, staying directly opposite of him across the fire. Sheik hoped that the tower bore some sort of value to the Hylian, so that he would hesitate firing if the weapon was explosive.

"I've heard the stories of the Shadow Folk, creatures who commanded legions of the dead. I know of the symbol of the Bleeding Eye and I know what it represents." It was Sheik who let out a snort this time.

"I am a Sheikah, old one, and that alone should make you tremble in fear. We don't forget and we don't forgive. But my intentions are as I've told you and your companions before. I'm here to train the Hero so that he doesn't die, and to ensure he saves Hyrule and destroys the corruption. Once that is done I'm leaving. I've no interest in you beyond what you can provide us on his journey and, frankly, I'm disappointed that you believe those lies so fervently." Auru's eyes darkened and his mouth thinned.

"Those _lies_ were passed down-"

"Don't defend them. It is impressive that the Eye has survived so long." Sheik hoped to distract Auru as he spoke, but the Hylian was far too experienced for it.

"What are you planning? We killed you all-we rid Hyrule of your scourge! What are you doing here, alive? With Link? He's a good kid-he doesn't deserve to be betrayed to or lied to or used by you!"

"And you're any different?" Sheik's words froze the Hylian in his tracks.

"He's under the protection of something far more powerful than you, and that is the only reason he doesn't know what you keep from him-because he already knows it. You're sending him across Hyrule to do your errands-and I highly doubt you've told any of your companions of what you're doing. He restores and finds places you want to find and you get the information you need from him subtly enough that he doesn't know he's given it. Say what you will about me, at least I've told him what I need his help with and what I need him to do." What he said had been deliberate. He was uneasy and he was afraid, both at the hostile nature of Auru and the fact he was too far away from Beth to feel her, but he was still fairly confident that he could keep the Hylian from physically attacking him. And it wasn't as if he hadn't listened to Link prattle about the Resistance-but he'd have to get Midna alone to ask her about his theory and discover if it was entirely true. Though, Auru's expression told him he'd been mostly right.

His adversary's expression darkened, and they stared at one another coldly for a long moment. Auru was the first to give, jaw tightening in anger as he reached into a pocket, withdrawing something he kept hidden from Sheik's view.

"I would say neither of us trust the other at this point, correct?"

"You don't trust me enough to tell the truth and I don't trust your word." Sheik allowed. A sudden smile touched Auru's lips.

"It is said that, if one drinks the tears of a Great Fairy, they grow stronger for a time. Do you know the price of it, Blood Eye?"

Sheik's eyes widened and he took half a step back, bristling in alarm.

Veran had made him take a dose of the substance a year or two ago-he knew firsthand the effects it had on a Sheikah. Like Hylians, it acted as a sort of truth serum, rendering them unable to lie. Unlike Hylians, it affected their minds rather than their physical attributes. Delusions and hallucinations would consume him-visions, Veran had believed, of other places, other times. In large doses the damage could become permanent.

"Do you think I'm stupid because I'm his age?" Sheik spat the words out, as he glared at the Hylian.

"I'll take it too."

"You've-_No!"_

"Thought you'd say that. So let me tell you another tale I've heard of the Shadow Folk." His expression gave far too much away-Sheik's senses were immediately on high alert, seeking out whatever trap the Hylian had planned.

"It's said that the Shadow Folk fear one thing above all else-Light."

As he spoke Auru threw the object he'd been holding at him, as hard and as fast as he could. Sheik had enough time to snap his hands up to block it from hitting his exposed face, but the thing exploded against his palms, liquid spraying across his forearms.

Water-water from one of the Light Spirit's springs.

The magic in it had faded somewhat, but it was still potent. He bit back a cry as the Light within it began burning against his flesh, searing his core.

And Beth's presence returned, faintly, to the back of his mind. And he became aware of a Poe nearby, ancient and enraged over the attack.

He cursed violently and flung a hand out, lashing his magic out and grabbing the Poe as it materialized in front of Auru, scythe a breath away from separating the Hylian's head from his shoulders. His power roped around it. It was immobilized for an instant.

"Dear Farore-"

The Poe thrashed against his bindings, fighting him-and not alone. Beth threw her power against his as well, to his alarm. His bindings slipped-

"_Stop!"_ His hiss went ignored by both Poes.

"What in the Dark Realm are-?!"

His control broke.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Link had surfaced a few times when the current lessened to sleep, but he was still bone tired when Beth finally cried out that Sheik was nearby.

She had a strange way of speaking, sort of just placing words into his head, and it disoriented him even after she'd stopped. He swam to the surface, treading water as he glanced around. He appeared to be in the middle of Lake Hylia-he shuddered as he recalled the monster he'd fought in its water. Being out in the open like this made him uncomfortable-although that could have easily been Sheik's influence.

There was a light blazing at the other end of the lake, and he immediately headed towards it. He was two-thirds of the way there when Beth suddenly screamed in terror and anger and pain.

_There-!_

He didn't ask questions-he bolted towards the light, fear chasing away his exhaustion.

And when he finally scrambled onto the beach and looked up, he froze.

Sheik was slumped against a brick tower, curled in on himself. He was soaked and his cowl was bunched around his throat, making his expression of pain, of fear, of anger, all that more apparent.

A fire burned between Sheik and another figure, this one a crumpled heap on the ground. Beside it, lying in the dirt, lay a bulky sort of weapon.

"_Stop it_." Sheik's voice was barely audible but Link heard it-and the desperation in it-clearly. He was there in an instant, tugging on Sheik's arm until he uncurled.

It was strange, to be sitting there, holding Sheik, and to feel Sheik holding him back-the boy was so distant all the time, so adamant about never letting Link touch him that having Sheik cling to him so tightly was more than a little unnerving. Something had scared Sheik, or at least unnerved him enough, that he was moving closer rather than farther away for once. He buried his head in Link's chest and let out a shuddering breath.

"Midna, who-?"

"Got it." She was free of his shadow and floating over to the other body almost before he'd begun speaking. Sheik drew in a deep, shuddery breath, snapping Link's attention back to him.

"I killed him." The way Sheik whispered it immediately made Link think that he hadn't killed anyone before-that the conversation they'd had in Telma's cellar had been false, a lie. Link froze, at a loss for what to do for a moment. He finally snapped his head up to look at Midna, who was floating beside the body.

"Midna-"

"He's alive. It's…Link, it's the old man from the bar-what was his name? Rauru? He's just unconscious. And there's a little cut on his arm. Not too deep-it's already stopped bleeding."

Link shifted his grip on Sheik, careful not to move too much.

"You didn't kill him, Sheik." He spoke softly, careful to enunciate clearly. Sheik responded by shaking his head, not looking up.

"I promised you I wouldn't, and I felt it-I felt someone die."

"Whoever it was it wasn't Auru, alright?"

"I felt someone die." Sheik repeated, voice shaking.

_Poe._

Beth's lantern tumbled into the sand beside them and Midna scowled as she dropped down beside it, resting one hand on them briefly as she steadied herself.

"No-"

_He was protecting you from the bastard, and your magic couldn't bind him without killing him._ Link's gaze flicked between the suddenly entirely visible Poe and Sheik, uncertain as to what was going on. What she'd said seemed to upset to Sheik, though, and Link scowled at her as the boy shook.

"That isn't _possible!"_

_What in Eldin's name were you thinking, binding him?! The Hylian was going to-_

"He _didn't_!"

_Stupid _child_! Do you have any idea what those could have done to you, had he made you-_

There was a sudden discharge of power, and Beth fell silent, vanishing. It was Midna's power, and the Fused Shadows were glowing faintly as she shot the Poe a glare. A heavy sort of silence crashed down on them.

"Where's Ralis?" Link asked, praying that the question changed the subject completely. As soon as he asked the question he realized he hadn't seen the Zora at all, and a sudden burst of fear made his heart skip a beat.

"I…He pulled out his weapon and I sent Ralis to the Temple. There should be guards-" The sound of water moving silenced Sheik, and Link craned his head around. The trampled vegetation and the water around it shook and a small figure scrambled through it, bolting for the two of them with a loud cry of relief. Ralis.

"Prince Ralis-!"

"Stop!"

The cries belonged to two Zora guard who floundered onto the shore, not nearly as coordinated as Ralis. The sudden noise made Sheik flinch in his arms, and Link glanced down at him for a second.

Ralis tackled both of them in a hug, entirely ignoring Midna. The Zora guard didn't. The moment they saw her they froze, and she deliberately folded her arms over her chest, drumming her fingers as she narrowed her eyes at the two of them.

Sheik's grip on him tightened for an instant, then he pushed himself away and stood unsteadily. He stumbled back a few steps before catching his balance, one hand resting on Ralis' back as the child clung to his waist. He looked exhausted, and Link saw signs that he'd been crying, though Sheik had managed to hide most of it.

Link spotted it immediately, in the way Sheik held his arms, how lightly he touched Ralis.

Ruby eyes glanced down at him, warning him silently not to say anything.

Auru had hurt Sheik. Anger, sudden and intense, shot through him-but Sheik's eyes, pleading with him, kept him still. He felt his jaw clench and his fists tightened, but he kept silent. He'd obey, for now.

A conversation between Sheik and the Zora guards ensued. Midna stared at Sheik as if he'd grown two heads and Ralis chimed in occasionally in whatever language they were talking in. It was a pretty language, all soft and musical and shushing.

Link didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until Sheik shook him awake.

He blinked blearily at his companion, noting that Beth's lantern hung at his hip and that his clothes were almost entirely dry. Dawn had lightened the color of the sky and he let out a sigh as he stood.

"Where…?"

"Temple. For the night…day, I suppose. Until we're recovered. I searched the Hylian-I have what we need. Ralis will go back to the Domain, and they'll supply us with what we need for our journey. One of the guards is taking the Hylian with him-he'll be tried by the Zora." Sheik moved to walk away, and Link's hand shot out, grabbing his arm. Sheik flinched at the sudden contact, but he didn't try to pull away.

"On what grounds?"

"Nothing happened to Ralis-he was just scared. And…The Zora are our sister race. They didn't forget." As exhausted as Sheik was, a faint glimmer of light sparked behind his eyes as he spoke.

"You're injured." Sheik stilled.

"Yes."

"Could Beth-?"

"She wouldn't help me if I was dying right now, Hero." Sheik sighed, exhaling. Link's gaze didn't drop, waiting explanation.

"She tried to kill him when he…attacked. I fought that, and she's furious about it."

"Why didn't you defend yourself?"

"…I promised you I wouldn't kill any of them." Sheik's words were so quiet that, for a moment, Link wasn't sure if he'd heard them or not. Sheik pulled out of his grip. He walked off, tugging at his cowl as he joined a Zora in the water. Ralis was clinging to the other Zora's back, asleep. A glance behind him revealed a third Zora standing guard beside Auru's unconscious form. Auru had been moved so that he leaned against a fallen log, and Link assumed his hands were bound. And Midna-

His eyes widened when he realized that Midna had made no move at all to hide her presence from the Zora.

Midna looked at him meaningfully when he finally spotted her floating at the water's edge before disappearing into his shadow, letting him know they would be talking later.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

All in all, it hadn't been too much of a disaster. Ralis was safe and reunited with his people, Auru had been taken care of, and the Zora had accepted Midna's presence without anything more than a few strange, puzzled glances. They hadn't even tried to kill Link-Sheik knew that the Hero had past history with them, but they had offered, assuming Sheik was bound to him. They'd been relieved when Sheik had threatened to return the favor if they even thought about it.

The door closed behind them without a sound, and Link dropped their bags onto the floor immediately. Sheik's shoulders slumped, his exhaustion finally visible-and he staggered as Link collapsed against him, crushing him in a _far_ too-tight embrace.

"What are you-?!"

"I thought you were dead." The Hero's voice was muffled by Sheik's shoulder, and Sheik shot a bewildered look at Midna-she'd followed them into the room. The imp smirked at him and mimed patting the Hero's back.

"Well, I'm not." He muttered, hesitantly copying Midna. One of the Zora had tended to his wounds, slathering on a healing balm that he'd been assured was not infused with Light magic, and binding it in clean bandages. The treatment worked quickly-there wasn't any pain at all, in his hands and everywhere else he'd been hurt.

"No-I-_I_ unsealed the tunnel! I let go of you! I _let go_! And Auru-I-"

"Ralis survived unharmed. I'm…mostly unharmed." He'd never heard the Hero so upset before, and he had _absolutely no idea_ as to how to deal with it. His gaze again shot to Midna, helpless. Her smirk widened.

"But you're not, and it's because I-" His grip tightened.

"Because you what? You didn't pass down legends of us, and you didn't convince Auru I was going to murder you. He did that all on his own-when we got here he would have done it then."

"If I hadn't have let go-if I hadn't have-"

Sheik untangled himself and frowned at the Hero.

"You can't blame yourself."

"Sheik-"

"Nothing bad happened. Ralis his home again, he's with his people, we have what we needed from Auru, and I'll be fine." He turned as he spoke, gaze flicking across the furniture in the room-two wooden beds, a table with a lamp lit atop it, and a chair. All built for Hylian use, which was strange. Maybe they'd expected the Hero to stay here at some point?

"That isn't the point! That you were in danger at all, that you got hurt at _all_ is the problem!" Link snapped back, voice strained and louder than necessary.

"You can't blame yourself." Sheik repeated, shaking his head as he turned back to the Hero. Link slumped against the wall, resting his head in his hands as he slid to the ground.

"If this had happened a week ago you wouldn't be talking me to right now. You'd probably be threatening to kill me. And you're not right now. _That's_ why I can blame myself." Sheik stilled at his words, regarding him silently.

He hesitated a moment before crouching beside Link and pulled at the Hero's arms until he looked up at him.

"I blamed myself for Malladus' death for a long time. Not because I wasn't old enough or experienced enough to help him fight or fast enough to get away, though I hated myself for that, but because I cried when…When we were captured." Sheik was careful as he settled beside the Hero, gaze not meeting Link's.

"Training had always been a serious thing for me. My…ah…My birth parents were important people. It was important that I be raised as traditionally as possible if I were to find any other survivors. But I was too young to begin serious training, and it had only been a month or so since…we were attacked. So they didn't want to push too hard. Veran took charge of my training then-teaching me our history and what we're supposed to be like, our duties, that sort of thing. And one of the bigger things is never showing emotion-never showing weakness. No fear, no sorrow. I thought Lanayru saw my inability to keep my composure and punished Malladus for it."

"…How long did you think that?" Link's voice was subdued, and Sheik let out a sigh as he leaned against him.

"Years. Until I took the Trials and spoke to Lanayru myself. Though mostly because the ones that killed Malladus were all murdered shortly after-they'd invaded a Temple, and its guardian was furious with them." Sheik added, a grim sort of smile touching his lips.

"Are you telling me to kill Auru?" Midna burst into peals of laughter.

"No. Just...Don't blame yourself for it. Be glad it turned out the way it did-if it would have happened after we'd arrived it probably would have gone worse. Nothing terrible happened, we survived…It's alright."

"You're still worried."

"…He knows what I am. He wanted to kill me. I guess…I don't know. It didn't happen in the village. Didn't happen in the bar, and the scholar didn't figure anything out." He shrugged, letting out a soft, humorless laugh.

"Do you _want_ to find people who remember about them-you?"

Sheik was silent for a long moment before replying.

"No. I'm angry that after everything we endured we weren't even worth a place in your history, but I'm glad we are. It's safer that way."

Sheik stiffened abruptly when Link again wrapped his arms around him again. Midna's smirk got even wider and she floated down to them.

"I'm just...I'm just glad you're alright. If anything would have happened to you…" The Hero pulled away, bracing his arms against Sheik's shoulders as he turned Sheik to face him.

"You realize that you and Midna are the only friends I have?" Link's gaze moved between the two of them, and _finally_, Midna was just as uncomfortable as he was.

"There's Shad, Ashei, Ilia." Sheik said it slowly.

"Maybe before this. But not anymore. The things I've seen? You two are the only ones who've either seen them or stranger. Do you think I'll ever be able to talk to Ilia, assuming she either gets her memory back or gets over whatever she has against me, about this stuff? And Shad doesn't count. Ever. For anything. And I really don't think that Ashei would care enough about this to worry over." There was a sudden undercurrent of tension in his voice when he spoke of them that Sheik didn't miss-anger over Auru, perhaps?

"Don't pay any attention to him. You're the only boy his own age that he's ever known, if Shad really doesn't count for anything ever." Midna snorted, waving a hand as she wandered off. Her voice was far less dismissive than it usually was, though, and Sheik felt a smile tug at his own lips. Link's own eyes narrowed as he glared at her. Sheik laughed softly and stood, brushing Link's hands off of his shoulders as he did so. He walked over to the nearest bed and eyed it critically before dropping down onto it.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept in one-probably before they'd fled Kakariko.

"Sheik?" He looked over to the Hero at the sound of his name.

"The Poe that you…Are you alright about that?" He felt himself stiffen at the mention of it. He'd been ignoring the incident for a while now, pushing it as far from his mind as he could.

It shouldn't have happened. He shouldn't have been able to do it. He hadn't even been able to bind the Poe to keep it still-if he was that weak how had he been able to destroy it? Fighting _against_Beth?

"Good night, Hero."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Will you answer a question?"

"Sure."

"What language were you speaking with the Zora?" Midna's voice was soft, mindful of the sleeping Hero a few feet away, but her tone was hard. Sheik glanced up at her and frowned.

He was sitting cross-legged on his bed, braiding his hair. He'd slept as long as he could stand to, bathed, changed the dressings on his wounds, and eaten. He'd even had time to pour over the Hero's map and compare it to Veran's, and had a rough estimate of where exactly the Ninth could be. Link hadn't so much as twitched in the time he'd been gone, though every so often his eyes would flutter open and focus on him for a moment before falling back asleep.

"Sheikah. Well, not true Sheikah, but a version of the language the Zora were taught. I didn't think they'd still know it. Will you answer a question?" Midna nodded, though her expression was taunt as she studied him.

"How did you learn it? You couldn't follow along very well, but you understood enough." She shook her head.

"It was Twili. Butchered and archaic but it was Twili." Sheik's fingers stilled for an instant, and he forced himself to finish the braid before he spoke again.

Was it possible? _Could the attack_…?

"Show me the Fused Shadows and the mirror shard." Her eyes narrowed.

"It could corrupt-"

"I'm not going to take it from you." A short staring contest ensued. Midna caved first, shoulder slumping as she let out a soft sigh. Her magic sparked in the air and a moment later two objects tumbled onto the bed.

"In case it does corrupt you, I'm keeping the other pieces."

"It's enough." Sheik murmured, hesitantly picking up the piece of stone. It appeared to be part of a helmet-it matched the one Midna wore. It would cover Midna's entire body, he guessed, if she were to wear all of the pieces.

The magic it radiated was incredibly powerful, and it was Sheikah-or, at least, _had _been. Something had altered it, changed it. Despite that, the patterns etched into its surface weren't Sheikah. They were Gerudo.

He stared at it for a moment before he set it down and grabbed the mirror-and winced as he dropped it, cursing as its magic snapped at his.

"What-?!"

"_Shh!"_

"You almost activated it!" Midna hissed, eyes wide with terror as her magic swept both items away. Sheik sagged against the wall behind him, his frown deepening.

"Twilit…Damn. This shouldn't exist."

"What do you mean?" Midna's voice was unsteady, and Sheik shook his head.

"I don't…We need to get to the desert and ask the Sages about it. I won't tell you what I think-I've far too little experience, and if-" Sheik cut himself off, eyeing the spot the mirror had previously occupied.

If it was true-if that was Gerudo magic and Sheikah magic that formed Twilit magic-how in Lanayru's name was he still alive?

"We'll leave here and go to the desert. The Ninth should be fine if we wait…piece together what happened to your mirror and speak to the Sages. And then…stuff, I suppose."

"You're scared. Of the Sages?" Midna pressed, dropping down onto the bed and looking up at him.

"No. Arbiter's Grounds...I don't really want to go. Malladus and Veran were imprisoned there and so much evil had been bound there...When the Hylians broke in they thought it was a settlement or a Temple. They didn't know it was a prison, and by entering, they released everything. The Gerudo had to leave their Temple and the desert itself-the things that had been freed infected even our magics. The Gerudo Desert is the most deadly place in all Hyrule. If we were dropped into the middle of the Ninth, we'd have a better chance of surviving, even if everything in it was let loose and we were unarmed."

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" She asked dryly. He met her gaze, his conviction clear in his eyes before he spoke.

"No."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Link was unnerved by how quickly he'd recovered from his exhaustion. Being able to rest without having to travel or fight did wonders-he'd almost forgotten what it was like.

Sheik had been relatively quiet while he'd rested, which was strange-seeing Sheik so subdued was like seeing Midna being nice.

"So we're supposed to go to the cannon guy and get _shot_ to the desert?"

"Hero, you aren't helping." Sheik's voice was tense, and Link glanced over his shoulder with a frown. His eyes widened when he saw how pale Sheik was-more so than usual, and extremely apparent. His cowl was part of his tabard, which was bundled under his arm to avoid any unwanted attention. Sheik made a strange sight without it, wrapped only in bandages and pieces of armor. It made him look thinner than he already was, and accented the curve of his hips. From a distance, Link mused, he could be mistaken as a girl.

"Are you scared of heights?"

"No."

"Then-"

"I will flip the bridge if you don't shut up, Hero." To punctuate his threat, Sheik swayed, rocking the rickety wood-and-rope contraption around. Link scrambled farther down the bridge, shooting Sheik a glare-Link would be happy if he never went swimming again, after all they'd gone through.

Ralis was safe and back home, and the Zora had given them more than enough supplies-Midna was carrying everything she possibly could in Link's shadow, as per Sheik's request for their 'flight'. Sheik's wounds had healed incredibly fast and now only the burns on his hands remained an issue, and a minor one at that. There was a jar of the Zora's healing balm with Midna too, courtesy of Ralis.

The network of bridges ended abruptly, and Link tumbled onto the wooden dock that surrounded the hut they'd been aiming for.

Fyer and Falbi's Watertop Land of Fantastication. The idea, as Link had gathered from experience, was to ride a cucco down to Lake Hylia, and be shot by a giant cannon back up top. He'd had to do it a few times to get to-and-from various places, and it wasn't all that bad.

Fyer, a pudgy Hylian dressed in garish colors and caked in makeup, huffed his way around the corner of the building and frowned at the two of them for a moment.

"What do you want?" Link handed him Auru's note and grinned.

"Please don't try to explain what you're going to do because it will greatly upset Sheik and no one wants that, but according to Auru, you're supposed to help us get to the Gerudo Desert."

"What in the name of the Three do you want with the Gerudo Desert?" Fyer demanded, gaping at the two of them.

"The Halls of Justice." The blood drained from Fyer's face, which was a feat in itself considering how much powder he was wearing. Sheik eyed him intently, obviously surprised Fyer had recognized the name. Link didn't, but he stayed quiet.

"If you disturb the ruins-"

"It's what will happen if we _don't_ that should concern you." Sheik interjected. That seemed to terrify Fyer, and the pudgy man pocketed the letter and moved over to a huge wheel. Link raised an eyebrow at Sheik, who folded his arms across his chest and pointedly refused to meet his gaze.

"Where's the old man? Didn't even bother to come himself, as usual." Fyer snorted, a clear attempt to change the subject.

"Zora's Domain." Link replied, watching curiously as Fyer fiddled with seemingly random objects, causing the dock beneath them to shudder and creak as the cabin in the center began to move.

No one said another word while Fyer worked on the cabin, which opened up to reveal a large cannon nestled in its center. At the sight of it Sheik let out a jumble of phrases in what Link assumed was Sheikah, and turned his back to it.

"Have you done this before?" Sheik demanded.

"Ah, up to the building up there." Link pointed, and Sheik paled. The shuddering of the building behind them ceased, and a loud metallic clanking began. Link looked to see Fyer adjusting the cannon itself.

"So what exactly are we going to disturb when we get to the desert?"

Sheik glanced at him, ruby eyes grave.

"The Halls of Justice, Arbiter's Grounds…Whatever you want to call it, it was a prison. Long before Hylians began using it. The story I told you in the Temple of Time, of the demon who came to Hyrule? He was not the first and was not the last. Some were not as restrained as he was. The Gerudo and the Sheikah built Arbiter's Grounds together to hold them, and, as time went on, those of their own who had broken their laws in the gravest manner possible. Once imprisoned the inmates endured unimaginable tortures. They were mummified alive and their souls ripped from their corpses, to float and battle and die amongst the other souls of other inmates within the Hall's walls. The life was torn from their bodies, so that they were nothing more than an ancient, desiccated corpse. And they were to remain that way for eternity." Sheik kept his voice quiet, so that only Link could hear him. Fyer didn't seem to notice or care about their conversation, fully absorbed in murmuring to his machine.

"Just before the massacres started a group of Hylian soldiers stumbled upon it. I don't know for certain how but Veran believes that the Traitor led them to it. They broke into it, shattering every binding ever cast on the ruins and freeing every creature ever imprisoned within its walls since the beginning of Hyrule. The monsters flooded out and drove the Gerudo from the desert. Now the desert is their territory. Undead, demons, monsters, things far more powerful than the Triforce you possess or the Fused Shadows that Midna owns."

"What about you? If they're dead already than-" Sheik shook his head, and Link fell silent.

"The Ninth is different. Nothing there is truly malevolent. The same can't be said for the Arbiter's Grounds."

"What can we do?" Sheik reached up and tugged absently at the bandages around his collar, revealing for a moment a flash of black on his chest. The tattoo.

"Malladus and Veran were both imprisoned there. I'm their son. That's the only thing I can offer. The Triforce and the Master Sword should protect you. I'm sure Midna can hear me-whatever she does, she _cannot _leave your shadow. The things in the desert will play with your mind, show you things that aren't really there and try to trick you into trusting them, believing in them. The Fused Shadows and the mirror shard are too important to risk losing." Sheik grew more agitated as he spoke of it, shifting as he stood and moving his gaze around uneasily and speaking quickly.

"Will they appear and act like a Poe?" Link ventured, struggling to hide his amusement. The question calmed Sheik down, though.

"I have no way of telling, but I would assume so."

"Ah, then we're fine." Link grinned, waving a hand dismissively. He hadn't felt the Divine Beast in a while, and the sudden challenge the desert was about to become made him itch for his other form, his other mind. They were the same, he and the Divine Beast-it was just another name, another title. But becoming a wolfos changed the way he thought, the way he acted-a wolfos couldn't comprehend some things a Hylian could, and a Hylian couldn't comprehend some things that a wolfos could, so it was a fairly even trade, to be honest.

"Don't hold too tightly to your optimism." Sheik murmured, as the grinding of metal halted. They both turned to Fyer, who was appraising the cannon.

"She's ready for you. I'll have to send you separately, you realize, so short one first. Take one of these-you look flighty. Won't help if you flail around." Fyer fished something out of his pocket as he spoke, and held it out to Sheik. It was a small round capsule of some sort.

"Do I need to crack it open?" Sheik asked, eyeing it warily.

"Nah, just swallow it. It'll knock you out. No after effects either-Fyer and Falbi garauntee!"

"How am I supposed to land?"

"Safety spells." Sheik looked unconvinced, but took the pill. Link felt the prickle of his magic against his flesh and smirked-Sheik was weaving his own safety spells. A second later, though, Link felt Sheik's magic wind around him.

He shot the boy a surprised look, something that went unnoticed.

"This cover it?" Link asked, tossing Fyer a pouch of rupees. The man caught it with an impressive show of coordination, and grinned when he opened it.

"Just about."

Sheik downed the pill and followed Fyer's instructions to get into the cannon, yanking on his tabard just before scrambling inside so that Fyer didn't see its emblem.

Fyer smiled a predatory sort of smile, all teeth.

"Have a nice flight."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Oh, jeez, wow. I still can't get over it- SHEIK IS BACK -!**

**Well, yeah, this chapter. Guesses as to what expect next time? It probably won't go up for a while-I'm still poking at it with a stick to make sure I like it. **

**But OH MY GOD, I keep getting all these awesome ideas for fics and this original fiction story I'd love to get started on. Three days until Camp Nano ends, though, then I can flesh them out. But expect one SheikxLink oneshot eventually, Lol. Unrelated to A Route.**


	12. Shadow Illusions

Sheik woke slowly, an oppressive heat thick in his lungs and hot sand searing against his cheek. A faint breeze blew, offering a sliver of relief. He could feel eyes on him, and knew it wasn't the Hero-this presence was too cold, too alien. His spells had been used up almost entirely-the damn Hylian had lied. Thank Lanayru he'd cast his own.

He moved carefully as he pushed himself up onto his knees, checking to see if he was injured in any way. His hands ached from the burns, but it was easy enough to ignore the pain. He cast his gaze around, seeing nothing but sand and rolling dunes-and paused when he saw what was studying him.

It hunkered down on the sands on all fours, limbs askew in ways that made it clear the bones were broken in places. It was a skeleton covered in grey, papery skin, the sweet smell of decay perfuming the air around it. Black rags clung to its frame, long tatters that obscured most of the corpse from view. Hollow eye sockets gazed at him, faint black embers burning deep within its skull.

_"__Sheikah…"_ The word was little more than the hiss of a faint breeze through the creature's ancient teeth, ageless and genderless to his ears.

It wasn't undead, despite the power animating it.

"_Why…have you come…?"_

"I travel to the Arbiter's Grounds." He murmured, still kneeling. Its eyes flickered, and it lunged at him. He lashed out with his magic and the construct burst apart, dissolving into ash that was swept away in the wind.

Puppet magic was something Majora and Skull Kid had made certain he was intimately familiar with-only something as skilled as Skull Kid could pose a threat, no matter what it used as a puppet. This puppeteer knew its craft, it wasn't on the same level as Skull Kid at all.

He stood and glanced around again, and again saw nothing but sand.

_Forward._ Beth's voice was curt and still angry, although two days had passed since the incident with Auru. Sheik smiled slightly and tugged his cowl up, his other hand brushing against his hip hesitantly. Her lantern was with Midna, but she felt close. The Hero couldn't be too far.

He'd only gone a few steps before the wind began to pick up and the sky began to darken. It wasn't a natural storm by any means-he could feel the power charging the air, snapping like taunt threads against his own. He paused mid-stride, gaze calculating as he studied it, evaluating his next move.

Power, Veran had said, was the only thing that mattered here.

Sheik softly sang an ancient song under his breath, hurrying the storm's approach. It would hinder both his and the Hero's progress, wherever the Hero was, but it would alarm the creatures watching-he knew the Song of Storms and wasn't afraid to unleash the tempest, and that he wasn't afraid of their power. They would see it as if he was giving them an aide, something to help them, something they would need if they wanted to face his own power.

It was a challenge.

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Link's nerves had broken last minute-Midna could make fun of him all she like but he did _not_ fly-and he'd taken the same dose of Fyer's pill that Sheik had, because apparently while the Triforce of Courage could face all powerful Twilit usurpers head-on, it couldn't face being hurtled over a rock wall by a rickety metal contraption faster than should have been possible.

He woke sprawled out in a dune, half-buried beneath sand. Sunlight burned his face, and the heat of the place was astounding. Maybe all that swimming wasn't so bad-and it was a bad sign that he was thinking that already, he mused. His mouth was dry, and it took a few tries before he found his voice.

"Are we at the Grounds? Sheik?" There was no response. He huffed out a sigh and pulled himself out of the sand, shaking as much of the stuff off of himself as he could.

"Sheik?" Link repeated, finally looking around.

There was absolutely nothing around him for as far as he could see but sand, save for behind him, where the desert ended in canyons and cliffs that split apart to form the valley Lake Hylia filled far below him. _Far_ below him.

_Far, far_ below him.

He took a few quick steps back and looked around again, but there was still no sign of Sheik.

He cursed and fished around in his pouch-the only item he'd kept on him, aside from the Master Sword and his shield-for the shadow crystal. It dissolved when it touched his flesh, plunging into his soul and twisting. He yanked his hand out of the pouch and fumbled with the tie for an instant, struggling to hold the transformation at bay for long enough to do so. He'd just tied it shut when it overwhelmed him.

His body twisted and shrunk into the shape of the Beast, an only mildly painful experience, as his senses sharpened and his thoughts splintered. It went faster than it usually did, the Twilit magic enveloping him entirely rather than bit by bit.

The Divine Beast stumbled as everything snapped into focus.

Midna remained hidden within his shadow, and the absence of her weight on his back disconcerted him-it was something he'd grown accustom to over time.

Sheik's missing presence was an even greater problem-he'd no idea how to get to the Grounds without him. Beyond that, it bothered him that Sheik wasn't there-despite never having met Sheik in that form, his absence was a glaring hole, and finding him was his greatest priority, at that moment.

It took him maybe an hour before he picked up Sheik's scent-of ancient bones and old things and shadows and ghosts and something sharp, something powerful, something that made his hackles rise although it was still _Sheik_.

And, intermingled with Sheik's scent was that of other things, starving things. Hunting things.

Well. They'd just have to see how those things dealt with Faron's Beast.

Behind him, the sky grew dark as a strong wind swept great swaths of sand up into the air. He paused for a moment, glancing back at it as he pawed at the ground beneath him. A sandstorm. He turned back to the direction Sheik's trail led, and something tackled him, sending him tumbling through the sand.

He snarled, forcing whatever it was off and scrambling to his feet, growling at-

-He froze.

Ruby eyes grinned mirthlessly at him, and Sheik tilted his head to the side.

"Well, we can't have you interfering, can we?"

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The storm hit with all the force Sheik's voice had promised it, leaving a small clearing around him untouched as it tore across the desert.

He cast a silent prayer skyward, hoping Lanayru would protect Link from the brunt of it.

But, first-he had to deal with the puppeteer.

"I've heard much of what was freed from the Halls of Justice, but I wasn't told that you were so skittish. Disappointing." Sheik called out, flicking his gaze around the wall of brown and gold surrounding him.

"_And where did you hear that?"_ It was louder than the first whisper had been, audible even despite the howling wind. A shape appeared in the sand in front of Sheik, and a moment later another puppet appeared.

This one was a skeleton, clad in rusted armor. Its ribs had crumbled away and the skull was broken, as spider web of cracks stretching across the bone, but it was recognizable as a Hylian skeleton.

"My parents."

He forced his nervousness down into the pit of his stomach-the spell he was going to try was something he'd never even thought about casting before. Veran had pointedly warned him not to on the first page of her spell book-the consequences would be severe.

"_What Sheikah were they, to know of what our prison held?"_ The skeleton moved closer, the thin silver threads binding it to the puppeteer shining in the dim light. Sheik reached into his core and began unspooling his power.

"They were not Sheikah. My father was Malladus, Demon King of the Four Realms. My mother was Veran, Sorceress of Shadows. And I am seeking the Arbiter's Grounds. Will you guide me?" He allowed an unseen smile to touch his lips as he asked the question, placing the last thread of his magic where it needed to go.

The shadow of the storm tore free of the whirlwind and swept around the puppet, clamping onto the strings and shooting directly for the puppeteer. It latched on and Sheik pulled on it, and the skeleton fell to the sand, nothing more than a pile of bones as its manipulator crashed to the sand before him.

His smile widened and he knelt down beside the puppeteer. Slender hands, tanned by the sun, scrambled against the sand as the puppeteer pushed herself back. He reached out and caught her chin, and she froze as he tilted her head up. Strands of her hair, red as a Gerudo's, whipped across his hand as the wind blew violently. Once, she could have _been_ Gerudo.

Terrified yellow eyes stared out at him from beneath the edges of an ancient wooden mask.

"One of Majora's disciples all the way out here? Majora thought you were all dead." He said softly, studying her curiously.

"Show me where the Grounds are and I will show you where your god is." He let go of her and stood, offering her a hand.

"…_Majora is alive?_" She didn't take his hand, but she sat up straighter, and her voice was stronger than it had been before. Sheik nodded.

Her hand shot out and grasped his, jerking herself to her feet and clutching his arm tightly.

"_If you lie-"_

"If I am lying then you can kill me. Now will you lead me?" She hesitated, and then nodded, letting go of his arm and taking a small step back.

He let out a soft breath of relief as he tugged the shadow free of her magic and released it. The storm shuddered as it regained it, and he frowned to himself as his magic coiled back around his core. It wasn't too badly drained, all things considering, though he would have to conserve it for when he really needed it.

Lasting damage would occur later-he hadn't held onto the shadow for as long as he thought he would, so it wouldn't be as bad as he had feared.

She suddenly let out a strangled sound and toppled forward, dissolving into silvery ash that sprayed across him before disappearing in the storm's vortex. His eyes widened and he reached for a weapon, snapping to attention.

The Hero flashed him a cocky, wolfish grin.

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"So the Sheikah has a mutt following his heels, hmm? Doesn't matter-you're not bound to him. And that's all I need to know."

The Not-Sheik lunged, blade flashing, and he threw himself to the side. He snarled, growing impatient with the imposter's game-Sheik was in _danger_!

The imposter had Sheik's voice and looked like him, but none of his skill. It had seen and heard Sheik, he assumed, but not seen him fight.

He snarled again and then threw himself at the imposter, moving as if to claw at its legs. Instead, he latched onto its chest and snapped his jaws around its throat-and tore.

It dissolved into sand and he dropped to the ground with a yelp. He flicked his ears as he stood, and again sought out Sheik's scent. By some miracle the storm hadn't blown it away yet, thought it was faint. He ran as hard as he could after Sheik, _his_ Sheik, ignoring the ever-stronger blasts of wind and the hot sand raking across his fur.

And then something rose out of the sand in front of him and there was a flashing pain across his chest and Sheik's crimson eyes sneered at him.

"You're a loyal pet, mutt, but nothing's going to save your master."

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"I suppose that's a terrible way to thank her, isn't it?" The Hero asked, kicking at the sand Majora's disciple had been standing on a second ago.

Majora would be furious.

"H-Hero-" Sheik cut himself off, inwardly cursing. The Hero's grin widened-the _doppelganger's _grin widened. At second glance the differences were obvious. The doppelganger bore himself differently, spoke differently, and his eyes weren't blue-they were a dark red.

"Your mutt's halfway across the desert and is currently…_occupied, _so don't worry. Nothing will interrupt us."

"I have no business with you." He said stiffly, warily. His fingers were tense on the hilt of his dagger-he hadn't drawn it yet.

"No?" The Hero's imposter clasped his hands behind his back and leaned forward, eyes glittering sharply.

"I have business with you, Sheikah, and I can't stress how _delighted_ I am that you've come. Do you have _any_ idea what I can do with you at my disposal?" He murmured, and Sheik felt the first beginnings of fear stir within him.

"Disposal?" Sheik repeated, staring in disbelief. The smile became far more predatory than it had been before.

"I've spent millennia learning how to bind Sheikah to me. But none of them could do even a _fraction_ of what you can. Of what you _will_." Sheik's blood ran cold and he took a step back, instinctively drawing his blade.

"Forcing a bond is impossible." His voice was far harsher than he wanted it to be, and it seemed to amuse the Hero's imposter. His hand shot out, far quicker than should have been possible, and he gripped Sheik's wrist tightly, hard enough to bruise as he jerked Sheik towards him.

"Not at all. See, sooner or later, you'll give up. You'll lose hope. And a broken Sheikah's soul is the most vulnerable thing in all existence, isn't it?" The words were almost crooned in his ear and the tension in his body only seemed to further amuse the Hero's doppelganger.

_Run_. Beth's voice startled Sheik more than the doppelganger's words did and he reacted immediately. He jerked the hand holding his blade up, swiping it across the imposter's chest as he wrenched himself free of his grip and stumbled back.

The Hero's imposter laughed softly, touching one hand to the deep cut running across his chest. The wound was bloodless and didn't seem to bother him in the slightest, though it would have crippled any mortal creature.

"Was that supposed to hurt?"

"One can hope." Sheik murmured, eyes narrowed as he cast a thread of magic around his weapon, burying it deep within the metal. It should cause lasting damage now, if he could get an opening.

"My turn, then?" The smile accompanying the question was all teeth. Sheik shrugged, warily moving backwards. The eye of the storm moved with him, and the sandstorm slammed into the doppelganger, snatching him from Sheik's view.

A presence suddenly appeared behind him, and in the same instant as it appeared pain exploded in his side-just to the right of where the Darknut had stabbed him in the Seventh-and a silvery blade shining crimson protruded out of his flesh. He let out a strangled sound, and would have fallen had an arm not encircled his neck, keeping him upright.

"Breaking something would be easier, wouldn't it? But I can't cripple you-then what use would you be?"

The sword was pulled out of him and Sheik let out a cry, clawing at the arm around his throat. The doppelganger laughed softly and tightened his arm-

-crushing Sheik's windpipe.

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The storm shifted, suddenly becoming a blinding whirl of white light and heat and stinging sand, and the Not-Sheik he was clawing at dissolved into nothing with a furious shout. He squeezed his eyes shut and bolted after _his_ Sheik's scent. His progress was more ungainly slipping and sliding than it was running, but it worked. _His_ Sheik was closer now than he'd been before-

-and another Not-Sheik tackled him, sending him tumbling through the sand as the storm's light suddenly disappeared. Still blinded, he threw the Not-Sheik off of him-just like _his_ Sheik, the fake didn't weigh much at all.

It was still disconcerting to snap the Not-Sheik's bones, hear the Not-Sheik scream in pain as sand poured from its wounds like blood should have, because it _looked_ and _sounded_ just like _his_ Sheik. He supposed that was the idea, so that he'd hesitate and take longer fighting the Not-Sheiks. Unfortunately for the creature behind it he'd no such qualms-because they might look and sound like _his_ Sheik, but they didn't smell like him at all.

His fury pulsated like a second heartbeat beneath his fur, raging in his blood like fire. The shadow crystal, buried within him, sang brilliantly.

His vision finally cleared as he tore the chest of the Not-Sheik to pieces-

-in time for the scent of blood to spill across his nose.

Sheik's blood.

_His_ Sheik's blood.

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Sheik hadn't been prepared for a mental assault, and he screamed hoarsely as the doppelganger's magic slammed into his mind, tearing into his memories before he could throw up barriers and force it out.

The most infuriating thing about it was that he did it so _easily_, that he could throw such a focused attack at Sheik's mind and still continue talking, still continue the beating.

He shuddered as he coughed, blood splattering his cowl as he pressed a hand to the wound on his side, struggling to push himself off of the sand and get to his feet, to get a weapon and _defend_ himself.

A heavy boot slammed into his chest, sending him crashing onto his back and tumbling through the sand.

"Aha, interesting-you're the last Sheikah in all Hyrule, and you were _there_, weren't you? So tell me-what did your mutt call you? Sheik? Tell me, Sheik, how can you claim the witch and the demon as your parents when you were alive before they even escaped?" The doppelganger crouched beside him, fingers grazing Sheik's cheek as he pushed his hair out of his eyes-and laughed, when a blade separated that hand from his wrist.

"Cute." Sheik had lost his enchanted dagger-and he was steadily losing his stock of other weapons, as the Hero's doppelganger batted it from his hand and stood as the hand began to reform.

It was becoming hard to stay focused, with the amount of blood he was losing. Sheik forced himself to his knees and rocked back on his heels, stumbling, but managing to stay standing.

The doppelganger grinned again, and held up a long trail of bandages. Sheik's gaze flicked downward and he saw that his right arm was bare, the scars it bore entirely visible.

"So you're scared of wolfos, are you? Maybe this will teach you to answer your master when he asks you a question." He snarled the last sentence, an arm shooting out towards the sandstorm. Sheik's blood ran cold at the expression on the doppelganger's face-he'd seen rage like that before, but never coupled with such all-consuming madness.

And a howl shattered the roaring of the wind, the harsh sound of his own ragged breathing in his ears.

And, suddenly, he was five and crying as Malladus ordered him to leave him behind.

Dozens of bloodthirsty crimson eyes pushed through the sandstorm's winds, and the doppelganger's laughter rose above the sound of the storm.

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He froze when he burst into the eye of the storm, the smell of blood and of Sheik thick on his tongue.

The storm formed a sort of whirling brown-gold wall around a perfect circle of desert, the entire expanse of sand dyed red. Bits of cloth and a startling number of daggers lay scattered and half-buried in the mire.

_His_ Sheik lay in the center of the clearing, hands locked around the wrist of-

-_himself_. The Hero. Straddling Sheik and sneering as he leaned forward, putting all of his strength into thrusting the dagger down-

-_No!_

He shot forward, tackling his imposter with a roar he hadn't known he was capable of.

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Sheik rolled onto his uninjured side and pushed himself up, struggling to get enough air into his lungs. The doppelganger was still screaming, in alternating anger and pain.

Sheik had managed to get to his feet by the time the doppelganger dissolved into sand, and he turned, a just-recovered blade glittering in one hand as the wolfos staggered and struggled to regain its footing. His nearly overwhelming terror left a bitter taste in his mouth and the bite marks riddling his body throbbed and memories threatened to consume him, but-

-It glanced up, just before he was about to attack, and Sheik saw its eyes.

Every construct that the doppelganger had summoned had had eyes as red as Sheik's. This wolfos had blue eyes-blue eyes the same shade as the Hero's.

_Faron's Beast…_

He wasn't sure how he made the connection-he could barley stay on his own two feet-but was fairly certain Beth had more than a little to do with it.

He was horrified, and furious. A _wolfos_? The Hero was a _wolfos!?_

_Bind yourself to him!_ Beth's voice shocked him enough that he dropped his blade and stumbled to his knees, letting out a soft cry of pain as every wound on his body flared with agony. The Hero was there in an instant, pushing his nose-_cold!-_into his cheek and letting him slump against him. Sheik wound an arm around the wolfos to keep himself steady, something he forced himself to do-to prove that _this would not bother him_ and that _he would not flinch _or_show his absolutely mind-numbing terror to the Hero._

"Isn't-" The word hurt to spit out, and tears of pain pricked at his eyes.

_You're not a full-blooded Lokomo! You have Malladus' blood in your veins! You can force a binding-now do it to the Hero before that _thing_comes back! It was tiring you out and now that you barley have any magic left you can't fight it if it tries anything!_

"How-?"

_I don't know, figure it out!_ Beth was terrified, and that alone gave him the strength to continue. He barely had any magic left-so much of it had gone to defending his mind, and even now his reserve was dwindling. But he had enough, he thought, if only barely.

_Why wasn't he thinking of another solution?_

He stabbed his magic into the Hero, seeking out the shadow magic that had allowed him to change form and _yanking_ with all his might-a guess on his part, fueled only by the faint humming he felt in the Hero's body, the call of magic finally at home in its host.

He tightened his grip on the Hero as Link yelped, body writhing as his form changed. The shadow magic formed itself into a crystal that dropped into Sheik's hand. He curled his fingers around it immediately, preventing it from working its way back into the Hero, as it wanted to.

Vaguely, he realized that the Hero had taken this magic and made it his own, something that probably wasn't possible but he didn't have the energy to puzzle over.

"Sh-Sheik? Are you-?" The world swam for a moment, and Sheik knew time was running out, even as the hairs on the back of his neck stood-the doppelganger was returning.

"I'm sorry, Link." His voice was barely audible, little more than a breath of air, and he pushed himself back, bracing his arms on Link's shoulders. He'd already bitten his tongue when the doppelganger had punched him-blood was thick in his mouth.

Because if blood was what had given him this ability, if what Beth had said was true, than it would be what he needed to use it.

"Sheik-?!"

And he pressed his mouth to Link's, biting down as hard as he could.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

**YEAH.**

**IT HAPPENED.**

**Kind of clichéd, but it happened. Lol.**

**So, bc the particular reviewer has their PM system off I have to put this up here:**

**THIS IS A SHEIK X LINK FIC. There will not be sex (I know, I know, try not to cry too hard). But this is a SheikxLink fic. Both being male, because I abhor F!Sheik, except for Spiritual Stone's fics because those are some of the most incredible things ever and she pulls it off. LOL Sorry if it's confusing-I know there's no action and it's a long ass story up until now. But that's the problem-I feel most fics that pair this particular couple do it so quickly that within two chapters they're proclaiming their love for one another. RELATIONSHIPS NEED TIME TO DEVELOP. But, like I said, things start picking up speed from this point on, although there are still...six, I think, dungeons left to go through-City in the Sky, Snowpeak, the Twilight Palace, Hyrule Castle, and other stuff. Well, technically just five, but I'mma stop there.**

**Which poses some problems bc Midna is such a huge character in Twilight Princess and I firmly believe that she is the only person Link can be paired with that makes perfect sense in TP, but throwing Sheik in there kind of scatters everything and I'm willing to ignore that because I love the idea for this fic. So. Don't be surprised by what happens with her if you like this fic, review, please! Camp Nano has ended and this fic is already over 150 pages long and I'm like, just hitting the halfway mark. Motivation, people!**

**But, now that Camp Nano is over, there are like, a hundred ideas for stories and fics I can start writing now! YAY!**

**Though, I'mma post a couple Dictatorial Grimoire fics when I'm done with them. Snow White x Red Riding Hood and everybody x everybody x3 I'm so taken with the idea of pairing Snow with Hatsushiba's brother, just 'cause of the glasses. Like, it just makes sense. Lol.**


	13. Shadow Bound

The Triforce exploded at the same moment his head did, and there was no way he could have done anything to prevent it.

Something screamed in agony-not Sheik, so he didn't really care all that much-but he could feel the Triforce destroying it, and it was an uncomfortable experience, feeling every droplet of blood and every inch of bone crack and disintegrate and tear itself apart, though he didn't feel its pain.

Sheik let go of him and just sort of _crumpled_, and Link could feel his agony _in his head_, and what the _fuck_ had Sheik just done?!

And then everything got quiet, and the storm disappeared and the sun came back out, and it was just the two of them, and the Triforce retreated.

The dunes had gone-the Triforce's explosion had probably caused it-so the sand around them for as far as Link could see was entirely flat, a featureless plain of gold, unmarred by anything except the ragged circle of Sheik's blood and the daggers scattered about them.

Sheik was unconscious, something Link figured was good because he could _still feel_ Sheik _in his head_, and if Sheik wasn't asleep Link had a feeling it would be worse.

"Midna?" His voice shook. She responded to his call immediately, materializing in front of him and looking as scared as he felt.

"What-what did he do?"

"I don't…" Midna trailed off, lost as she glanced down at Sheik's still form.

"_What did he do?"_

_He bound his soul to yours._ Beth's voice silenced both of them, and both he and Midna looked towards her lantern-

-Sheik was still injured. Bleeding to death, and Beth's lantern was with Midna, so why were they both looking at Sheik?

Link scrambled up and hunted down the pieces of cloth that hadn't blown away, shaking the sand off of them. Most weren't blood-soaked, which was lucky for them-he didn't want to poke into Sheik's stuff for another roll of bandages.

"What does that mean?" Midna demanded, while he carefully rolled Sheik over.

_Hylians have a Royal Family. The Sheikah have the Lokomo. Their title for their royal bloodline, you could say. All Sheikah can bind themselves to the dead, but Lokomo can bind themselves to a living person. To better serve Hylian Royalty. Neither party has a choice in the matter, though, and the process is…difficult. Sheik is different. Malladus' blood is in his veins, and demon blood has strange affects on Sheikah. He can force a bond, if he wants to. Which he did-the thing attacking him was going to tear his soul apart and lash him to its own soul. Better he serve you than something that would seek to destroy Hyrule._

"What does it _mean?_ I can figure out what it is, but what did it _do?!_" Link snapped, bristling. It hurt to talk-Sheik had bitten his lip _hard _and it was already swelling.

There was a silence, and he could almost feel the Poe's solemn eyes on him, heavy with a cold weight.

_He trusts you._

And she would say no more about it.

Link bound Sheik's wounds as best he could and begged Beth to help him heal Sheik. She did what she could, slowing his heartbeat and healing a few minor cuts and scrapes, but little else.

He found the shadow crystal clenched in Sheik's fist, and gave it to Midna to hold onto. His memories of his transformation were fuzzy-just Sheik whispering he was sorry and then the kiss. Had Sheik forced the crystal out of him? Was that even possible?

"What happened to that thing that was attacking Sheik? Was that what the Triforce-?"

"I think so." Midna's voice was soft, subdued. Link hesitated, carefully scooping Sheik up. It terrified him how limp Sheik was-splotches of red were already forming on his impromptu bandages.

"Why did it-?"

"I don't think the Triforce was to blame for what happened. I think you did it." Midna spoke carefully, but Link's gaze still shot to her.

"What?" His voice was sharp and tense and angry, as if he was being accused of something horrible, and she flinched, though she didn't back down.

"It might be shadow magic now, but it was Twilight magic first, Link. It's faint now, but I can sense your emotions when you get riled up. Link, I've _never_ felt so much anger before. Even in Zant. Even in _myself_. You wanted to protect Sheik and the Triforce sensed that. Check it. Are the bindings still in place?"

He hesitated before doing as she asked. She was right-each and every binding she'd meticulously wound around it was as untouched as it had been before the burst of power.

"I can't…I can't think about that right now, Midna. Just…Can you see anything nearby? Like a structure or something we can go to? And can you grab his weapons?"

She let out a soft sigh and nodded, floating upwards as Twilit magic sparked all across the sand near them-Midna grabbing Sheik's blades. She came down after a moment, pointing wordlessly to his left and he stood, careful not to jostle Sheik.

"You're injured, you know."

"He's dying."

"You'll die before you get him to safety if you don't-"

"_Midna."_ She fell silent at his tone, eyeing him silently before vanishing into his shadow.

He'd only gone a few feet before he found a corpse-by accidentally kicking the sand covering it. It was a sort of blob with tentacles stretching down, form caught mid-transformation. The angles of legs and arms were just barely visible in the thick, oily black murk of its flesh. Dull, beady red eyes stared sightlessly through him.

_That_ was what had hurt Sheik. It deserved more than the hole burned through the center of its bulbous mass, but it looked like it had been an extremely painful end, if the creature's expression was any indication, and that calmed the sudden flash of rage he felt somewhat.

Somewhat.

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He woke blearily to someone gently shaking his shoulder and the thick slug of panic coiled around the Hero's mind thrashing agitatedly.

He let out a soft noise as he struggled to open his eyes and moved an arm to brush away whoever was touching him.

"Are you awake?" He couldn't find the energy to speak-he just let out a soft grunt and blinked as the world came into focus. The Hero was leaning over him, eyes anxious and face drawn. Midna hovered over Link's shoulder, looking just as fearful as he did. Above the both of them there was a ceiling, which threw Sheik.

"…Wh-_ah-_" It hurt too much to talk-his expression contorted in agony as a hand flew to his throat.

"I think we're in the Grounds. I don't know. But, Sheik, there are skeletons-I need to know if you can use them to heal like you did in the Temple of Time." The undercurrent of fear in his voice was entirely audible. Sheik let out a soft breath and grabbed Link's arm tightly, slowly sitting up. Link studied him, expression odd-his eyes were dark and his mouth grim, but Sheik could feel his concern. Link nodded to Sheik's left and Sheik followed his gaze, spotting what the Hero was pointing at.

They were in a large rectangle room, sitting on one of the few pieces of floor that hadn't been swallowed by sand. Massive piles of bones lay in discarded heaps all over the room, covered by the pale gold grains. Slowly, Sheik leaned back against the wall behind him, biting down on his tongue to keep from crying out in pain.

He could just barely feel Beth in the back of his mind, and his gaze roamed around the room as he sought her, eventually settling on the Hero when he failed to pick her out.

"Beth?" He didn't say it so much as mouth it to Link, but the Hero seemed to understand.

"She-um, she says if she were to say anything to you it could kill you. You're not used to being bound to her-having two things in your head could drive you insane." It was Midna who replied, looking uncomfortable. Sheik couldn't bring himself to care, though the reminder of what he'd done sent a chill of ice racing down his spine. He focused his stare at the wall across from them rather than look at the Hero or Midna. He knew he'd been unconscious for a while-his magic was still recovering but enough had returned so that it was flowing in his veins again, keeping him alive as he still bled out. The bindings on his wounds were messy, but they were applying enough pressure-Link's work, Sheik assumed.

Black light illuminated the room as Beth materialized and Sheik watched her as she inspected the bones, casting pale blue flames across them.

"Sheik?" He glanced up at the Hero.

"Did it-" Link cut himself off and reached towards Sheik, grabbing his cowl and tugging it down. Sheik flinched as the bruises were unmasked, even farther when he saw the Hero's expression darken, felt a deep rage flare up within the Hero's mind.

"I should have been there."

Sheik let out a slow breath and shook his head, looking to Beth as she began floating back towards them. A long, slender bone was clutched in her arms, and she dropped it onto his lap wordlessly.

A nagging feeling in the back of his mind warned that avoiding the topic wouldn't help matters, but he avoided that thought too.

He swallowed, fighting back the tears of pain that threatened to leek free at the movement, and he began unbinding his wounds.

"Help him, Link." Midna's order was unnecessary-the Hero was already unwrapping the bandage on his stomach.

"It looked like you, you know. That thing. Kept attacking me when I was trying to get to you." He must have felt Sheik's alarm, because he dropped the bundle of bloody bandages in his hands and tilted his head towards Midna.

"She made me drink some potion when we got here." He said it soothingly as he moved Sheik's hands off to the side, tugging his numb fingers free of his wound and finishing the job. It wasn't painful when Link did it-Sheik couldn't have explained why. Maybe he was just too exhausted to register it.

"What now?" The Hero asked softly, rocking back on his heels.

Sheik fumbled with the bone as he picked it up. The remnants of power from the Poe it had birthed responded to his call immediately, and the bone dissolved into dust in his cupped hands.

The Hero was the one to take care of it from then on. Sheik couldn't keep his hands steady long enough to do it.

And then the pain knocked him out.

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Sheik stirred and Link was awake in an instant, arms tightening around his small frame in case he began thrashing again. The healing had injured Sheik more than it had helped, at first-he had torn his throat up screaming and the flailing about had aggravated his wounds almost beyond the point of repair, according to Midna, according to Beth. But it had worked in the end, thank Farore.

"…What are you doing?" Sheik's voice was little more than a whisper, but he still managed to convey the stiff, uncomfortable sort of tone he often took when Link was touching him.

"You were hitting stuff." Link sighed, resting his chin on the top of his head. Sheik stiffened, and he felt the alarm flare up within his mind, sudden and intense enough to make Link's muscles tense.

"Let go." Sheik's voice was stronger this time.

"No."

"_Hero-"_

"Not until you tell me what you did. What it means. Everything." He was pleased that he kept his voice so calm, so steady.

"_Let go!"_

Sheik bucked against his grip and a short struggle ensured.

Link would have let go in an instant if Sheik would have been actually terrified, but while he was uncomfortable with being so close to him Sheik wasn't scared-just angry.

"Stop _laughing-_"

"I-"

"_Damn you-"_

"Sit still and-"

"I will _kill you-"_

"Calm down!"

Sheik spat back with a flurry of words in what Link assumed was Sheikah, but he slumped back down and stopped fighting, though he _did_ slam his elbow into Link's stomach hard enough to bruise.

"I hate you." Link laughed in response.

"He asked Beth earlier but she just upset him, so I made him stop." Midna's voice made Sheik tilt his head up slightly, but Midna stayed out of their sight.

"What did she tell you?"

"She said you're royalty and something about demon blood and that the thing was going to-I don't know, rip you apart." Link cut himself off, feeling the incredulity flaring within Sheik's mind.

"She said I was-_Beth!"_ The irritation and disbelief in Sheik's voice amused him-it was the first time he'd ever heard it not directed at him. Midna snickered, but she didn't say anything in response-she had become Beth's speaker since the ghost refused to talk directly to either Sheik or Link.

"She...Hnm. It…" Sheik trailed off, letting out a sigh.

"Beth says he doesn't want to tell you, and that he shouldn't." Midna volunteered. Link frowned down at Sheik.

"Why-?"

"Hyrule is led by the Royal Family. The Sheikah are led by the Lokomo-a small number of us who have been gifted with greater power and were cursed with the ability to bind themselves to the living. Well, not bind themselves-they…_we_…don't have any control over it. Neither party does. My birth parents were Lokomo. Veran was Lokomo. I am Lokomo. It's...It's a long story, Hero."

"I'm not going anywhere until I hear it."

Sheik was silent for a moment.

"Do you remember the story I told you in the Seventh? Do you remember where I left off?"

"Uh, yeah. The demon who convinced the Goddesses to create life. I think you left off when he met the Sheikah."

"Don't sound so pleased. I'm not going to tell you a story."

"Technically-"

"Shut up."

Link scowled, and Sheik waited a moment before continuing.

"The demon impressed the Sheikah, and they took him to Lanayru. He begged his case before her, hoping she would create a race to inhabit his lands. She couldn't, though. It would anger her sisters, possibly to the point where they would destroy all of the life they had created. Instead she sent a group of Sheikah with him back to his lands, volunteers. And centuries passed and races were birthed and grew, cultures were formed, and the demon's lands flourished. The Sheikah that had gone with him took a new name, the Lokomo, and served as guides and teachers to the people of the demon's lands..." Sheik trailed off, voice growing softer.

"Malladus had spent centuries fighting it. He was far more restrained than other demons, true, but he was still a demon and the need for absolute power, dominance, had been pushed away for millennia. He'd been able to control it but…it piled up and eventually, he lost control. He betrayed the Lokomo and wrought terrible destruction on his lands, and cursed the Lokomo with the…ah, bond. Lanayru blessed them with a greater power than any other Sheikah would ever have in response, and with that power they tore Malladus from his physical form, rendering him a spirit without a body, powerful but unable to influence anything. He found a way, though. By inhabiting the body of a Lokomo-whether or not it was a corpse didn't matter-he could resume a physical form, though taking his true form would wear on the vessel. And…after a while he was imprisoned here. Centuries later, so was Veran."

"So your _dad_-"

"Yes." Sheik snapped, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Ah, alright. And what about your mom?" Link asked quickly. The last thing he wanted was to make Sheik clam up again. Not when they were _finally_ getting somewhere.

"Veran was a Lokomo chosen to take the mantle of the Sage of Shadows-some of the Lokomo had returned to Hyrule before Malladus lost control to lead us and she was one of their descendents. She left Hyrule and returned years later with a mastery over shadow magic that exceeded anything the Sheikah had ever known. All the world trembled at the sound of her name-Veran, Sorceress of Shadows-and she spurned Sagehood in favor of working with her shadows. That sort of magic is forbidden to the Sheikah-it consumes one's soul until there is nothing left, until you _are_ a shadow. She was always loyal to the Sheikah, though they imprisoned her here for refusing to abide by our laws. She met Malladus here, and when the Halls were breached she carried his soul for a time, until he could find another Lokomo to use."

"Alright. So what does this bond mean?"

"…It was only permitted to occur between a Lokomo and the Royal Family. The Lokomo became an extension of the Hylian's will-a puppet. Unable to refuse any request, unable to stop themselves from obeying an order. It isn't like they lose their will, their minds-they feel the same as they did before, they just can't act on it if they are ordered not to. It can be reversed, but until the Fracturing all Lokomo swore an oath to Lanayru to never do so." Sheik's voice was far quieter than it had been before, slow and bitter.

Link's horror was immediate.

"_What?!_ How the fuck do I-How the fuck do I turn it off?!"

Sheik went still for a moment, and then pulled free of his grip, turning around and straddling his legs so that he faced Link. There was a strange look in his eyes and his head was tilted to the side slightly.

"You can't."

"I don't want to-"

"I know." Something seemed to drain from him as he said it, and he stood.

"I don't know what that thing would have done, but it would have forced a bond somehow and I'd have become nothing more than a puppet. If we'd have escaped it would have continued to hunt us. I just-what happened to it?"

"Dead. Triforce. Leveled the desert, actually."

"How did you-?"

"I don't know."

Sheik leaned against the wall, burying his head in his hands as he slid to the ground, no longer facing Link.

"I am sorry, Hero." He sounded broken.

Link got to his feet and walked over to Sheik, dropping down beside him.

"It's alright, Sheik. So how do I not…If I can't turn it off then how can I make sure I don't do it?" Sheik went still again, then leaned his head against Link's shoulder.

"Your magic. Don't talk and draw on it, not to or about me."

"Alright. Should be easy-I don't use it anyway." It was an attempt to lighten to mood, though Sheik didn't appear to catch it.

"We have an old abandoned prison to clear out, if you two don't mind, and we passed some Moblin encampments outside that I'm not too keen on either. We managed to sneak around them, but you were screaming earlier and I'm sure someone heard. Not everyone is as deaf as Link." Midna interrupted, appearing in front of them and throwing something at Sheik. Sheik caught it with a frown, and Link looked at the object curiously until he realized it was just Sheik's bag.

"You, get dressed. And you, go open up the door at the other end of the room."

Link sighed and stood. He stopped at the end of the hall they were in, scowling at the shifting sand swirling around where the floor had once been.

"I don't think I'm going to like this place."

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"So we haven't actually had to do that much fighting besides those damned traps and the Poes, so I'm assuming that's on you?"

Sheik let out a soft hum of acknowledgement and stayed sitting where he was while he watched the Hero slog through quicksand, then blinked as the Hero's words registered.

"Ah, no. The Poes control everything here. My presence may be preventing the sort of attack they had planned for you, but I am not doing anything."

"Planned for me?"

"Or for any intruder. It hasn't been here that long, though. It's too unfamiliar with the ruins. Someone placed it here, I'd guess, after we were chased out. I would assume that they died on their way out, though." He mused, turning two of the Poe souls over in his fingers.

"Please stop theorizing and help me with this." The Hero grunted, muscles straining as he heaved his weight backwards. The chandelier he was attempting to move shuddered and slowly moved up another inch. Sheik snorted.

"Just climb across it, Hero."

"The pull-y thing is here for a reason!"

"So are the metal bars."

"Why in Din's name are there _chandeliers _in this place!?"

"Hylians. I assume that they tried to turn this place into a settlement or something. Those that had escaped must have let them get this far before killing them."

"_Sheik-!"_

He sighed and stood, walking over to stand at the Hero's shoulder. He looked up at the chandelier and frowned at the Hero.

"Should be good. Let go and run through."

"It'll crush me!"

"Then climb across it." Sheik replied, strolling beneath it.

The prison had been inhabited by four Poes who had sealed the lower half of it from them-they'd recovered two of them and were on their way to the third. It required far more transformations than Sheik was uncomfortable with-blue eyes or not, he was still frozen with fear each time he saw Link change into a wolfos.

The Hero sensed it, though, and that unnerved Sheik too.

Link cursed at him but scrambled after him, managing to make it before the chandelier fell.

"It would have been easier-"

"Shut up."

Sheik let out a soft laugh and took the lead.

"So can you tell me about the, ah, the massacre? Majora called it the Great Betrayals, but…I want to understand it."

Sheik slowed his pace, glancing over his shoulder at Link.

"What did Majora speak to you about?"

"I think Majora would kill me if I told you. Nothing bad." The Hero added, raising his hands defensively at the irritated look Sheik sent him.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Will you tell me about them?"

Sheik let out a sigh, slowing his pace.

"The Lokomo were tired of being used. About a hundred years before the Fracturing they rebelled. The Hylians responded by leading a slaughter that nearly wiped the Sheikah out. We survived by pledging our souls to the Royal Family and allowing them access to our village, the first Kakariko. The Sage of Shadow was also ordered to reside in the Royal Castle. A…hostage, I suppose you could say. Lanayru ordered us not to fight back, you see, to prevent a Fracturing from occurring. We submitted, allowed them to destroy us. That was known as the First Great Betrayal."

"You guys listen to her a lot, don't you?"

"A Sheikah's first duty is to Lanayru, second to the dead, and until the Second Great Betrayal, third to the Royal Family." Sheik murmured, shrugging as they came to a stop in front of another chandelier. He looked at it and moved his gaze to the Hero's, raising an eyebrow as he watched him pull himself over one of the metal bars of the chandelier.

"Don't give me that look." He snapped.

"What happened to the Gerudo?" The Hero added after a moment, huffing as he dropped clumsily over one of the bars.

"When the Halls of Justice were breached, the Gerudo were the inmate's first target. They were chased from the desert, forced to watch their land itself turn against them. They sought refuge in Hyrule, but were instead greeted with blades and executions. They joined the Sheikah, and we attempted to flee together." Sheik took a morbid sort of comfort in the fact that he felt nothing as he spoke-no pain, no detachment. It was just another story at this point, as he pulled himself after Link.

"And…?"

"We held one last stand. Every able-bodied warrior stood against the Hero of Time and his army, to buy us enough time to flee. They failed. The Hylians had horses-they caught us by sunset. By then we were mostly children, newborns and those too young to begin training, the elderly, and the pregnant. I survived only because Malladus and Veran happened to be near me. I had a…cousin. Not blood related, but a close family friend's daughter. She was Gerudo, and I remember playing with her while we marched. I saw them kill her. Then Veran grabbed me and we escaped." Sheik sighed the last sentence, dropping down beside Link. There was a dull ache in his chest-he didn't remember much of Ganondorf's youngest, but what he did remember was vivid-he'd never forget her, he knew that much.

"…But that was five hundred-" Of _course_ that was what the Hero would pick up.

"I told you Time was torn apart by the bloodshed. There were nine places in Hyrule were that happened all across it-Distortions, we call it. Time passes differently within the Distortions than outside. Sanctuaries, for the survivors of the murders. The Seventh was one. Time moves slower within that outside. So, yes, I was born before the Fracturing." Sheik didn't bother to hide his irritation, though Link blinked at him, gaping.

"You're over five hundred fucking years old!"

"Hero-"

"You told me you were seventeen!"

"Do I look like an old man to you?"

"You're over five hundred fucking-Midna, how old are you?"

She appeared in an instant, whacking the back of Link's head hard ,if the sound was any indication. She caught Sheik's eye and smirked, eyeing him appraisingly.

"Ow-!"

"Never ask a lady her age! Now get moving before I set you two on fire!"

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Link dropped into a sand-coated heap in front of the open door, letting out a breath as he watched Sheik poke at the torches the Poe souls had lit. He was murmuring to the objects softly, prodding with his magic. His curiosity sparked in Link's mind sort of distantly-the more exhausted he was, Link had realized, the more sluggish the connection between them was.

"Can we take a break? 'Cause if I have to walk through that _again_ without a break I'm going to die."

"Then we'll have to keep going." Sheik replied, dropping down cross-legged beside him. Link turned his head, resting his cheek on the ground as he looked at his companion. He was holding something, turning it over in his hands curiously.

"What's that?" He asked softly, eyes curious as he studied the object in Sheik's hands.

"Beth-the lantern…It's another one. She says her name is Joelle."

"Is it possible for Poes to have siblings?"

"No. Well, not in the sense you're thinking. They can be close to one another and have a tie like that of a sibling, but it's impossible for multiple Poes to be created from a death, no matter what it is that dies." Link replied with a noise he hoped sounded intelligent, like he knew what it was Sheik was talking about.

"Are you bound to this one?"

"No." There was a tired undercurrent of relief to the word that Link didn't miss. Sheik tilted the lantern so that he could see it. It held the same basic shape as Beth's, but rather than jagged edges it was more rounded, smoother sides and made of what looked like copper instead of black metal, like Beth's. He didn't see the Poe and didn't ask to either-if Joelle was the one who'd decided to lock the damned door, he'd probably try to hit her, and he knew that that wouldn't go over well with anyone.

"Well, that's good." Sheik let out a soft hum and untied the flap of the bag at Link's hip-the one he kept the shadow crystal in-and stuffed the lantern into it.

Link saw him flinch, however small the movement was, and grabbed his hand before Sheik could pull away.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, but-"

"That isn't it, Hero."

"Then why are you so-I don't know. I can't tell if you're angry or upset or scared or just being moody. What's wrong?"

Sheik's eyes narrowed, and he refused to meet Link's gaze.

"When Malladus died…" He trailed off and let out a slow breath, reaching up and tugging at the bandages on his right arm. They spooled onto the floor slowly, along with pieces of armor that he removed.

Link had seen the scarring there before, but somehow Sheik showing it to him made it all that more terrible. Something had, at one point, mauled the upper arm to shreds. It was clear that something had-

-bitten him. Link bolted upright.

"It was the first time I went out training with actual weapons with him, and he took me into the woods outside of the Grove. About twenty years had passed outside of the Seventh since the Fracturing. And somehow a hunting party stumbled across us. They had ah…domesticated wolfos with them. And when I say domesticated…They were starved, bloodthirsty monsters, but they didn't have the mobility wild wolfos did, which is the only reason I'm still alive. Didn't attack the Hylians, which I still don't understand. Just us. I must have been five or six? It was almost a year since we'd arrived there. So yes, I'm terrified of wolfos. The thing out in the desert found out. It..." Sheik trailed off, shrugging. Link hesitated a moment, then slid an arm around Sheik, pulling him into a hug.

"How'd it-?"

"You can attack someone's mind directly, if you're powerful enough. I wasn't prepared for it. I pushed it out." Sheik shrugged again, fingering the bandages as he began rewinding them around his arm.

"I'm sorry. I should've asked earlier."

"You didn't do anything-"

"I scared you. That's something."

"Are you ready to continue?" Sheik asked abruptly, standing. Link let out a sigh and laid back down.

"I'm napping first."

Sheik glared at him, and he grinned as he rolled onto his side.

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"Why does he keep touching me?" His voice was tense but quiet, making his agitation clear, and Midna smirked at him as she moved closer to him. The Hero was ahead of them, trying to figure out a puzzle of some sort-too far away to hear them.

"You don't get it yet, do you? When he changes forms, his mind changes as well."

"So?"

"You should know how territorial wolfos are."

"_There's no one here!"_ He snapped back. What Midna was trying to suggest was absurd-but it was the first thing that came to mind. There was no need to be territorial when there was no one there to be worried about and there wasn't any cause to be territorial anyway. Her smirk widened.

"I know. I'm _dying_ to see how he acts when there _are_. See, _I_ don't have to deal with it because I hide. Though it was annoying at first. I woke up with him on top of me a few times before I just started sleeping in his shadows. He didn't like it much. Though he _was_ a wolfos then."

"Get him to stop!"

"Nope."

"Midna-" She cackled, the sound bouncing sharply against the walls around them, and he struggled not to clench his fists.

"Tell him yourself. It won't change anything, but it'll be amusing to see you try."

"Sheik? There's, ah, something you'll want to see here." The Hero sounded uneasy and Midna floated towards him immediately, still snickering to herself. Sheik scowled at her and followed, drawing a dagger.

After getting Joelle's lantern the dead had apparently been freed of her control-they'd been swarmed by them since. Hordes of ghostly rats would swarm onto them, something the Hero could only see in his other form, and weighed them down until they couldn't move. It wasn't hard to get rid of them, but they were a nuisance, especially when they were standing in quicksand.

The Hero was standing in the doorway of a room they hadn't yet explored, and Sheik paused in the doorway when he saw what the Hero was staring at.

The floor had been inscribed with a series of rings covered in Sheikah runes, encircling a massive black sword that had been plunged deep into the stone. Sheikah markings covered the flat of the blade, a startling red against the ebony metal. Threads encircled the hilt and plunged into the stone rings, pieces of paper dangling from them also inscribed with Sheikah runes. The power it radiated very nearly rivaled the base bindings on the Ninth.

"What is it?"

"Some things were imprisoned within the prison, their bindings separate from that of the Halls. They weren't released when everything else was.

"So you have no idea what it is besides that it's dangerous?"

"Something in this room was to be protected, and as such it was guarded by this. It isn't voluntary-this thing is just bloodthirsty enough that to unleash it means death."

"Well thanks for that vote of confidence. Do you think I can kill it?"

"I don't know." Sheik murmured, kneeling beside the blade. He hesitated before placing a hand against it, gently tracing the Sheikah words running up its side.

"Shadow, revenge, betrayal." He murmured the words to himself softly, frowning.

"What?"

"These inscriptions are warnings, descriptions of what it is."

"Can you read it?"

"Yes."

"And what do they say?"

"I'm almost positive we'll die if we release it." Sheik replied, slowly standing. The Hero laughed-it said a lot about what he'd been through that he could laugh so freely at what he knew wasn't a joke.

"Then get back here. Sooner we get this over and done with the better."

Sheik scowled at the weapon-something about it was bothering him, tugging at his nerves and his memory-but he obeyed.

"Just break the thread."

"Actual threads or magic threads?" The Hero grinned at the look he shot him, and flicked the tip of the Master Sword up, severing a string. There was a moment of silence, a pause as if the creature couldn't fathom that it was free, before everything erupted.

The threads and the papers lit with a pale yellow flame, burning away until they were nothing but faint lines of ash swirling their way across the ground. The runes on the blade and on the ground burst with brilliant light as the creature tore at its chains, ripping itself free of its prison.

It was huge, massive, a giant skeleton towering above them. A heavy black robe clung to its bones, obscuring most of it from view, and its horned head leered down at them. It wrapped its hands around the hilt of the sword and tugged it free, and with that movement, Sheik recognized it.

"_No!"_ He thrust his arm out, stopping the Hero and offering a petty barrier against the creature. His shout gave it pause, and it hunched over its blade as it regarded him silently.

"What are you seeing?" Link asked softly, and Sheik could fee his eyes on him.

"In the Seventh I told you how a Darknut was created. Do you remember?"

"Yeah."

"This is a Death Sword. Sheikah don't create Poes when we die, but the Great Betrayal left a thousand angry souls wanting a revenge that they were denied, and this is what they manifested as."

The Death Sword hauled its blade back, ready to send it crashing down onto Link, and Sheik stepped in front of him.

Again, the spirit paused, meeting his gaze angrily.

_Step away._

"No." Sheik snapped.

_He is Hylian._

"He's _mine_."

_You are _bound_to him!_

"I need him alive, and so do you, if you intend to protect any other survivors."

There really wasn't any changing the Death Sword's mind-Sheik was impressed it was aware enough to hold such a long conversation with him and respond so well-so it wasn't a surprise when it just lunged at them, blade singing through the air. Link tugged him out of the way just in time, and let go of him as he grabbed for the shadow crystal.

"Don't kill it."

"Are you going to rebind it?"

"No. I couldn't work the bindings like whoever sealed it here could and anyway that would drive it insane, if it isn't already." Link shot him a look and then dropped to the ground as he changed forms.

The Death Sword began to move, circling the perimeter of the room before lunging, sending its sword slamming into the ground where Link had crouched seconds before. The rings cracked at the power behind the blow, sending chunks of stone flying through the air. Sheik ducked, one barely missing his head. The Hero threw himself at it, somehow launching himself far enough off of the ground to slam into its chest, and began tearing at it. The attack seemed to stun the Death Sword, and it crumpled to the ground, reeling.

Sheik attacked then, shoving his magic into the creature and yanking with all his might, trying to draw its power out and weaken it. It lashed out then, not trying to kill him but rather incapacitate him, as it recovered from the Hero's attack and threw the wolfos off of it.

Sheik slammed into the wall behind him, the force of the blow leaving him gasping for air as he slumped to the ground. His dagger clattered uselessly to the ground and he heard the Hero snarl, heard the silent scream of the Death Sword.

By the time he scrambled to his feet the Hero had again changed forms and had the massive thing pinned down, the tip of the Master Sword smoking against the bones of its throat-its own Light magic reacting badly to its pure Shadow.

"Hero-"

"I'm not going to kill it. Well, it could impale itself, but I doubt it would do that." The Hero corrected, shifting his stance so that he wasn't standing on top of the creature, though his blade didn't move from its spot. Spirals of thick black smoke wound around the blade, lifting to the ceiling slowly.

Sheik eyed it hesitantly as he approached. The thing wanted Link dead-he could feel it in every bone in his body. It wasn't going to listen to reason-not that they had much of an argument.

"He's a Hero. He is the only one who can wield the Master Sword. And the evil threatening every surviving Sheikah in all of Hyrule can only be slain by the sword you have held to your neck right now. If you kill him every single one of us dies." His voice shook, and he wasn't sure why, but he felt it affect the Death Sword-or, more accurately, fail to affect the Death Sword.

The Hero glanced up at him, and the Death Sword chose that moment to strike.

It sacrificed an arm to throw the Master Sword out of Link's reach and slammed into his stomach, sending him flying across the room even as Midna appeared, too late to help in any way.

Sheik felt his impact as if it were his own, and crumpled, clutching his head as he screamed-he could feel Link's bones cracking, crushing, felt him _dying_-

He forced himself to get to his feet, pushing through the pain as he moved over to where Link lay.

There was blood-_so much blood_-and he shuddered as he slowly lifted the Hero's head up, ignoring the feel of the hot liquid seeping through his bandages.

He didn't notice the feeling when it was his own blood, when he was dying himself, but the feel of _Link's_ blood terrified him more than words could express, more than the fact that he couldn't feel Link's mind against his anymore, couldn't feel anything beyond the agony of Link's wounds.

Link groaned at his touch, a soft sound buried beneath the Death Sword's roaring and Midna's high voice shouting mangled Sheikah at it, but Sheik caught it and he carefully lowered Link's head.

His hands shook as he reached into the Hero's pack and searched for a bottle of potion, barely audible prayers slipping past his lips.

Something happened-he didn't know what, he was too focused on Link to catch what it was-and absolute silence filled the room.

"…Sh-Sheik..?" Midna's voice was so small, so quiet. Sheik shuddered and pressed his hand to Link's throat, seeking a heartbeat.

It was there, faintly. Relief pulsated harshly in his chest, nearly painful in its intensity.

"He's…"

And then it stopped.

_He is dead_.

He reacted the moment the Death Sword spoke. He tore his magic from his core and lashed out, grabbing hold of the Death Sword's core and snapping.

It was an impassive move-he felt no anger, no hate, no terror. It was as unconscious a move as it was to breathe-he didn't think about it.

And the Death Sword screamed in horror and rage and fear and disbelief as it was torn from existence, its essence shredded and its very being ripped apart.

And, faintly, Sheik felt Link's heartbeat drum against his fingertips.

**XXXXXXXX**

**So I feel like this chapter is super long, though I know it isn't. Nine pages or so? Hnm.**

**But, yeah, so there's some backstory for you. And some bonding. And I hate how in most fics Sheik's the one getting murdered or almost murdered-it's super easy in this fic cause he can just instantly heal, but I decided Link needed to die at least once. Who knows? It might become a regular thing, Lol.**

**The Death Sword was my favorite boss ever. I mean, it was so amazing. Just...GAH. Originally I was going to make it Dark Link, but I did the doppelganger thing and I didn't want to overstress the idea and this just makes more sense and I like it better.**

**But, yeah, Midna has a point. How ****_will _****Link act around other people? Lol.**

**So. The bond is explained a little bit more. Not entirely, but, you know. Sheik doesn't like talking about it and the more Link knows the more dangerous he is. AND PLOT HAPPENS, though a big deal isn't made of it. Can you guess what it is, Lol? Ah, next chapter you might be able to. There's a definite theme going on here, but I don't know if anyone's caught it yet.**

**Aha, I'm so excited for the next chapter. Guess who you get to meet, finally?!**

**And seriously, thanks for all the favs/reviews/ect. This fic has gotten a lot of attention and I'm really glad so many of you are reading it ^^ Hope you enjoy it as much as I do~**


	14. Shadow Life

_She was tall, taller than anyone he'd ever seen before, and it was the only attribute she shared with the statues he had seen of her. They depicted her as a long-haired voluptuous woman with a stern face and cold eyes, and that was the image of her he held in his mind. But it wasn't shocking to see she had short blue hair, falling just above her jaw, and solid turquoise eyes with no black or white to them at all. She'd pale skin, almost as pale as Sheik's, and had a straight body with small curves only just noticeable beneath the white robe she wore draped across her thin frame. A blue sash rested above her hips, the same color as her eyes, and pristine bandages coiled from her wrists to her shoulders. There was a gentle, wry smile on her lips as she gazed at him, not unkindly. She fit her name as perfectly as the holy aurora she exuded explained what she was._

_Link had no idea how he'd gotten here-wherever 'here' was. Beyond her all he saw was a broad expanse of white shadows, a blazing pale nothingness reaching on forever._

_"__W-Where-?" He was surprised to discover he wasn't mute. None of his other senses appeared to work-he couldn't even feel his own body._

_"__Not the Afterlife. I need to speak with you and if you were to see _that_ then my dear Sheikah would have to end you. So you are dead, child, but only for a few moments. You may think of this as the Sacred Realm if you wish, but you have already seen that and I think you will agree that this is nothing like it, no?"_

_He blinked at her stupidly. He wasn't…and he'd never been to the…_

_"__I think I would remember a trip to the Sacred Realm." The sort of knowing smile he got far too often from Midna touched her lips, and he was left with the same feeling he got from the Twilit woman-that he was missing something obvious._

_"__He does not know what he is, that boy, and it will kill him if you are not there for him." She said, expression growing grave._

_"__Sheik?"_

_"__If that is what you call him." She sounded amused._

_"__I speak to you to ask of you a favor, Hero of Light." Again, her attitude changed in an instant, the faint smile on her lips falling away immediately._

_"__What is it?" He asked cautiously._

_Her eyes met his and he was struck with a terrible sort of force, intangible yet absolutely crushing. If he had been breathing-why wasn't he breathing?-the air would have been forced from his lungs._

_"__I have waited five hundred years and never have the Sheikah had a better chance to restore themselves than him. He is the only one they will all accept and the only one they will all trust with their lives and their future. Protect him."_

_"__You had to kill me to ask me that? He's-" The disbelief in his voice seemed to anger her. She raised a hand, and he fell silent immediately._

_"__No. Alair must reach the Sanctuaries and gather all survivors, Gerudo and Sheikah, and take them to the Third. You must keep him safe as he does that."_

_"__How do I know I can trust you?" Link asked, voice curt, abrupt. She raised an eyebrow at him._

_"__You do not believe I am a Goddess?"_

_"__You being a divine being is irrelevant. I am asking you to prove that I can trust you." His voice might have been harsher than he intended it to be, but she seemed to understand what it was he was getting at._

_"__I was against the idea of promising Hyrule a Beast, you know. I saw how your tale would progress. But he has saved your life in joining you and your tale is changing. I suppose I approve of it now. I cannot prove to you that I have the best interests of any of you at heart. But I can offer something, I suppose, that will help you. Tell Alair that there are no survivors in the Second. He need not bother with it. And tell him what you have heard of the Four Realms-he deserves to know he is not as alone as he thinks." She sighed, reaching out and touching his cheek gently._

_"__Protect him at all costs. I was forbidden from touching the last Hero who betrayed me-there are no such restrictions on you." The threat was delivered gently, kindly._

_"__You're telling me that Hyrule needs-"_

_"__No. You misunderstand me. _You_ need him. More than you have or will ever need anything in your entire life. You need him as much as I do. His destiny has little to do with Hyrule. He is important solely to the survivors. Keep him safe. Keep him alive."_

_There was a sharp, agonizing pain in his chest and Link let out a strangled noise, hand rising to the wound as her smile widened-_

_-_and he was breathing.

He didn't feel any sort of pain, but everything was blurry. What had happened? Had he been hurt? The Death Sword had struck him, hadn't it? And he remembered slamming into something hard enough to jar him to his very bones, but nothing beyond that. Just meeting Nayru.

"Drink-" Something was shoved against his mouth and he automatically swallowed it-he'd woken up enough times to Midna forcing something down his throat that he knew the drill. He could feel the substance working already, knitting up bone and muscle that shifted with a mind of its own beneath his skin, snapping into place as he healed.

Midna was doing it.

_Where was Sheik?_

His hand shot up as he blinked blearily, letting everything come into focus as he wrapped his fingers around the bottom of a potion bottle. It was slippery-which was something he didn't understand until his gaze focused on it and he realized that the red of it wasn't due to the potion itself, but his blood.

It was everywhere, and it was still fresh-still brilliant in color and still warm and still liquid.

And, head buried in hands stained with it, Sheik sat against the wall just off to the side of the splatter. Link automatically sought out the Death Sword, but he saw nothing beyond the sword, dull and scratched as it lay discarded among the cracked stone of the floor. His gaze met Midna's, and he saw a deep, bewildered sort of fear there as he handed the emptied bottle to her.

"He killed it, Link. He didn't even-Didn't even blink and he tore it apart like-it was like nothing I've ever seen before. And he's-I-I don't know. You have to talk to him."

Link scrambled up and very quickly sat back down as the world spun and his vision dimmed.

"You lost a lot of blood." Midna murmured.

There was an audible crack and Link's head jerked forward as bone snapped into place. He paled when he realized what that meant-his skull had been _crushed_.

"Midna, I was dead. Potion can't heal-"

"Sheik did it. I don't…talk to him."

Link scooted slowly across the ground until he reached Sheik's side and sagged against the wall beside him, letting out a breath. Nausea burned at the back of his throat and he didn't speak immediately, just focused on his breathing and keeping his limbs from trembling.

"Is this how you felt in the Temple of Time? And I just talked the whole time-I'd have killed myself. Dear Farore. Your self-restraint is incredible."

Sheik didn't respond, and Link turned his head to regard the Sheikah.

"I killed it." It was a whisper as Sheik slowly lowered his hands and met his gaze. Blood was smeared everywhere, from his hair to his cheeks, and the fear in his gaze was beyond what Link had words for.

"I just-it was right there and I just-"

"It'll be alright." Link murmured, tugging him closer and pulling him into an embrace. Sheik rested his forehead on his shoulder numbly.

"I did it at the lake and I did it here and-I don't-_It shouldn't have happened!_ I'm not strong enough-I-" Link made a soft shushing noise, like Uli used to do when he had nightmares as a child. Tears leaked from Sheik's eyes as he squeezed them shut, flingers clenching around the cloth of Link's tunic.

"Maybe it's your dad's blood? It let you do the binding thing, maybe-"

"That doesn't-it shouldn't have anything to do with it! _I'm not strong enough!_ I don't have enough magic to kill a _Poe_, and somehow it happened, and I-" A noise that Link would have thought a whimper if it had come from anyone else escaped Sheik, and Link tightened his grip around him.

"You were dead." Sheik whispered.

"Yeah. You brought me back though, didn't you?" He hoped it was spoken as soothingly as it should have been-Sheik's fear was threatening to overpower him.

"I don't…I shouldn't have been-"

"It's alright. It doesn't matter. We're fine." He said quickly, rocking side to side slightly-and then stopping when his nausea returned. They sat like that for a very long time, neither of them saying anything else. The potion finished working and Link had recovered more or less completely when Sheik finally moved, pushing away from him and pressing his wrist to his eyes-an attempt to keep Link's blood from getting anywhere else that failed, as he was already covered in the stuff. Dust clung to his hair, covering some of the stains. He was a mess.

"Are you going to be alright?" He asked softly, concerned.

"No. But it doesn't matter."

"Sheik-"

"I'll deal with it later."

"No we won't."

"Hero-"

"I _died_. I was _dead_, Sheik, and she was really very clear that-"

"She?" Sheik's tone, suddenly hard and sharp, shocked him into silence for a moment.

"Nayru."

"You spoke to Lanayru?" Sheik asked it slowly, though his tone didn't change. Link was quiet for a moment before replying.

"Yeah. I don't think she likes me much." Her words were still clear in his memory, though they were growing dimmer, and he realized suddenly that if he didn't tell Sheik about it _now_, he wouldn't remember it later.

"She said you didn't know what you were and talked about the sanctuary things you talk about, except she said to forget the second 'cause no one's there. She kept talking about somebody named Alair-do you know them?" Link felt the spark of shock that ran through Sheik's mind acutely, and he winced softly-it wasn't painful but it was an uncomfortable experience-and Sheik stilled, staring at him with wide eyes.

"Alair? She…Hero, this is-this is very important-what did she say about it? The name?" The sudden tension in Sheik's shaky voice alarmed him.

"Ah, I don't…That Alair had to go to the sanctuaries and find survivors and bring them to the third and-" Link stopped, mouth closing for a moment as he stared at Sheik, processing Nayru's words.

"It's you, isn't it?" He asked, eyes narrowing. Sheik didn't seem to hear him. He seemed shocked, but a happy sort of shocked-not that that made much sense to Link. He'd been near hysterical seconds before.

"She...Eldin damn-She was in prayer when she died. Veran-_damn it!_" Link wasn't certain as to whether he was cursing his mother and the Goddess intentionally, but he figured it wouldn't be wise to ask.

"Are you alright?"

Sheik shook his head, though the movement seemed directed more at himself than Link-almost dazed, to be honest.

"She _named_ me."

"Can you maybe explain why this is a big deal?" Link asked, prodding Sheik's knee hesitantly. He didn't want to upset him again, send him tumbling back into the terror that had been eating away at him moments ago, but he wanted to know what Sheik meant.

"Sheikah children aren't given a name until they've passed the Trials and spoken to Lanayru. Only a blood relative can do it-I never had the chance because of the Fracturing and I wouldn't want my blood parents to name me anyway, so I never had a name." Sheik didn't get _animated_, exactly, while he talked, but he did start gesturing slightly, coming out of the mood he'd been in. Apparently the name was good news. Then Link processed what Sheik had said and his jaw dropped.

"Wait, wait, but you-_what?!_ No! Skull Kid was calling you Sheik _before_-"

"A nickname. Malladus got tired of saying 'the little Sheikah' and it got shortened to Sheik after a while."

"So how are you-?"

"Lanayru has to accept the name after the Trials are completed and…she must have been in prayer when…and Lanayru accepted it. Otherwise she wouldn't know the name and Veran…" Sheik trailed off, getting lost in his own thoughts. Link studied him, letting him drift off for a while.

"Well, I'm still calling you Sheik. Alair makes me think of someone a whole lot taller." He wasn't joking-his tone was entirely serious-but Sheik still shot him a glare as he abruptly pushed himself up. Sheik's eyes fell on the Death Sword's blade and he visibly flinched, tearing his gaze away and focusing on Link.

"What else did Lanayru say?"

"Not much else. But…Ah, I know you said Farore was the one to mess with Time and all that, but can Nayru see it or something like that too?" He asked hesitantly. Sheik blinked, and frowned.

"I don't know. Maybe. Why?"

_I saw how your tale would progress. But he has saved your life in joining you and your tale is changing._

Her words echoed in his head, and Link suppressed a shudder. He doubted Nayru had meant what had happened with the Death Sword, so what had she meant?

"Just wondering." He wasn't sure why he didn't tell Sheik about it-Sheik would probably know more about what Nayru had meant than he did-but he didn't. It wasn't something he should bother Sheik with, not when he already had so much he was worrying about.

His gaze roamed the room as he stood, and a slow grin worked its way across his face when he spotted an alcove with an open metal gate on either side of its entrance. Resting in the center of the niche was a chest. Sheik frowned, following his line of sight with his own eyes, then scowled dangerously, shooting him a look.

"Don't you _dare_ say it."

"But-"

"You _died_. I didn't. Doesn't apply here."

"Which makes it all the more-"

"Go get whatever's in the damn chest, Link."

His grin widened, but he moved to obey, ducking a blow from Sheik.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sheik understood what the Hero was trying to do and was infinitely grateful for it, even if it wasn't the smartest of ideas.

Every time it got quiet Sheik's thoughts returned to the Death Sword and what he had done to it, and he began to shake. So the Hero rambled on about stupid, inconsequential things, told him stories of what he'd done and the things that he had seen.

He didn't absorb most of what was said, but Link took care to pull him out of his silences and get him to at least hum along in agreement to whatever had been said. It was the pleasant warmth of his mind against Sheik's, the sound of his voice, that kept him from dwelling on the incidents, and Link seemed to know that-at one point Sheik could have sworn he was just listing random words.

As such, the rest of the Arbiter's Grounds passed in a blur, which probably had more to do with the Spinner that Link had found than the Hero's chatter. The object was unwieldy and it had taken an hour for the Hero to figure out how to work it properly, and Sheik wasn't a fan of clinging to him as he shot around the tracks that they had to travel on it to get further into the Halls.

But they finally reached the end of the Halls of Justice without another incident or death, and Sheik finally found something he could distract himself with full-heartedly-the giant skeleton buried in the sand in the center of the massive chamber they found themselves in.

The chamber was huge, circular in shape, and had a rim of stonework around it with steps leading down into a huge bowl where the remains lay covered.

"What is it? It looks like a Stalfos." Link asked, scowling at the thing as he prodded a protruding bone with his boot. Sheik shot him a glare and grabbed onto its horn, pulling himself onto the top of its skull-he had to jump to grab hold of it.

"In a manner of speaking. Stalfos are usually guardians of a Sheikah settlement, but they are easily created by monsters or corrupt magic like the kind we are trying to stop. If a Stalfos devours enough of that corrupted magic it grows bigger, stronger."

"So you're telling me this isn't the only one of these things out there?" Link demanded, looking horrified. Sheik laughed softly, balancing himself on the creature's skull as he surveyed the room.

"This particular Stallord is long dead. It won't awaken or return."

"See, I don't believe that, because it's in the final room of the ruins and the thing in the final room of the ruins _always _comes to life and tries to kill me. The giant fish in the Water Temple, the giant Deku Baba in the giant tree in Faron woods, Darbus in the Goron Mines. It's a proven fact, Sheik."

Something prickled against his magic, an oncoming source of power that reminded him of Midna's, save that this was sour, reeked of decay.

"Hero, something's coming-!"

"Told you." Link huffed, tugging the Master Sword free of its sheath and unhooking his shield. Sheik drew a dagger and turned, guessing at where the thing would appear.

In a flurry of rectangular sparks of magic glowing with the same dusky glow as Midna's, save that it was outlined harshly in red, the cause of the corruption devouring Hyrule appeared before him.

It was tall, taller than the Hero and definitely taller than Sheik, dressed in loose clothing edged in a fringe. The outfit was clearly derived from Gerudo and Sheikah styles, which sent a thin ripple of panic flitting around in his heart-_they needed to find the Sages_. A garishly decorated metallic mask covered the creature's face, hiding it entirely, but Sheik was adept enough at reading body language so that he saw the creature's surprise.

The magic radiating from it, though, told him what, _who_, it was.

"And you would be Zant. I've heard much about you." He murmured, smiling coolly beneath his cowl as he offered a short, mocking bow. He felt the Twilit's eyes move past him, to the Hero, and felt his start of surprise as if it were his own.

"So you are still alive? How astonishing. Your mutt has managed to surprise me, dear Midna." The Twilit murmured it as softly as Sheik had spoken, then turned his gaze to Sheik.

"What are you?" Sheik smiled a brutal sort of smile at the question, asked far more quickly and far more abruptly than wise, and lashed out with his magic-catching the Twilit usurper across the stomach and sending him crashing to the sand below the Stallord's skull.

"I am not one you want as an enemy. Unfortunately for you, the Goddesses do not smile upon your fortune, do they? I am here to ensure the Hero kills you. I can't kill you myself, you see. You've let corruption seek too deeply into your heart for anything but the Master Sword to do that. That doesn't mean I won't try." Sheik added, hurtling his dagger at the Twilit man. Just before it made contact, Zant disappeared into a cloud of Twilight particles, reappearing in an instant at Sheik's side.

"How sorrowful that we should meet now of all times, creature. I would love to…_speak_ to you again, but I fear that I'll not get such an opportunity. And, dear Midna, I truly am sorry that this is where our paths again cross-I fear that this is the last time I will see you alive." The Twilit's tone, the sardonic murmuring, reminded him acutely of Midna. It didn't stop him from suspecting Zant of an attack, especially at the man's phrasing, but…Had he picked it up from her, or had she picked it up from him?

"Zant, you _bastard_-" Midna's frustrated shout drew the Twilit's attention to her immediately, and he bowed, sparks of Twilight magic again appearing around his hand. Sheik yanked out another dagger and lunged as the magic formed into the shape of a massive, twisted blade.

It was made purely of magic, and it resonated when it sensed his own power sharply, grating against his nerves harshly enough that he missed Zant entirely. He grit his teeth against the dissonance and swept his blade back around, but the Twilit man laughed and plunged the sword down, lodging it deeply in the skull of the Stalllord without bothering to try to evade the attack. A thin scratch along Zant's side was Sheik's only reward.

It shuddered, and began to rise as corrupted magic sparked across its skeleton. Rage pulsed in Sheik's veins and he lashed out with his magic, scraping across Zant's core. The contact relayed the Twilit blade's discord, and Zant jerked away sharply before vanishing into a cloud of Twilight particles.

"Damn it, Sheik, I told you it was going to come to life!" Link shouted furiously. Sheik jumped off of the Stallord, tucking his blade away and hitting the sand in a roll as he turned to look at Midna. He paused for an instant, shuddering as he forced himself to let go of his rage-Link wouldn't be so angry if he wasn't riled up, and the Hero needed a clear head if he was to face a Stallord.

"How long have you two been married?" He asked, hurrying over to where Link was waiting at the edge of the room. Link froze, wide-eyed gaze moving from Sheik to Midna and back again.

Midna's eyes narrowed and she folded her small arms across her chest.

"We were never married."

"Engaged then, or seeing one another. Whatever term you use. How long have you been together?" Sheik asked, rolling his eyes at her as the Stallord roared furiously as it finished rising to its full height.

"Since we were children."

"And I never heard about this _why?!_" Link demanded, voice shrill.

"It wasn't important!"

"You're making me murder your _husband?_"

"We aren't married!" Sheik took a startling amount of pleasure in seeing her so flustered for once.

Sheik's gaze moved to the Stallord at the same moment it spotted them, frowning as it slammed its clawed hands onto the sand-now a churning, spiraling vortex. Dozens of skeletons burst up from its roiling mess, rusted weapons clutched in their fingers and armor in even worse shape hanging limply from their bones. Zant's magic clung to everything, leaving a foul taste in the back of Sheik's mouth.

"Hero, kill the creature first. Yell later." There was an almost dangerous amount of exhilaration in his voice as he spoke. He was _excited_ for this battle, and he clutched at that tightly, trying to ignore what he'd done earlier.

"And _you_, always telling me _not_ to kill the icky dead things, what do you _mean_ kill it first?!" Link spun on him immediately.

"It's still dead. Zant's magic is moving its bones-it's a sort of puppet magic. Like Skull Kid uses. Midna, push him."

She obliged with a fierce grin.

"Hey-!"

"Its spine is cracked. Use your new toy and whack at it a bit!" Midna ordered, vanishing into the Hero's shadow without so much as looking at him.

Belatedly, Sheik realized he may have hit a sore point with her. The usurper's behavior made it clear that he still cared about her, despite everything he'd done to her. Maybe she still loved him as well?

"Sheik, are you going to stand there or are you going to help me?"

"I'm sure you can take care of it-"

"_Sheik!"_

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Link rubbed the palm of his hand into his eyes, yawning, and Sheik pushed past him, humming a song softly to himself. Link didn't recognize it at all, but he felt the magic in the tune, a sort of weight and authority and peacefulness that made him want to fall asleep.

He was already exhausted, both from fighting the Stallord and from climbing out of the ruins-well, _spinning_ up the ruins-and then climbing the tower they found themselves at the foot of. Maybe, if he asked nicely enough, Sheik would play the song on his lyre later. Sheik was a good enough mood to do so-he'd been humming _during _the fight and ever since.

The Stallord had been annoying. He'd killed it fairly easily, with Sheik helping, but it had come back and had somehow changed the room around on them-the sand had drained away and the center and sides of the room had risen up etched with Spinner tracks. The Stallord's skull had chased them around until Midna had smacked it with the Fused Shadows, but the whole ordeal had been tiring and the stairs hadn't helped matters at all.

"It's here, I can feel it."

"The whole of it or just a shard?" Link asked, dropping his hands and trailing after Sheik. Midna shot him a murderous look, her anxiety suddenly incredibly clear.

"I can't tell. I'd never felt the mirror before the Temple of Time-I just thought it was something like the Fused Shadows, not…" Midna trailed off, falling silent, and Link caught up to Sheik.

The top of the tower proved to be a coliseum looking structure, arched walls hedging them in on all sides and seven pillars stretching from the top of the walls, all evenly spaced, topped with ancient, tarnished mirrors. To one side of the circle of open ground was a tall golden statue of a clearly not Hylian woman encircled by what looked like a track for the Spinner. They stood on the other part of the circle, which was nothing but a broad expanse of sand-covered floor.

"This is a statue of Eldin, Hero, built by the Gerudo to watch over the Halls of Justice. Veran told me of it-that it rested at the entrance of the ruins, not…Shad's notes said that this place was turned into a prison for Hylians for a while. I can only assume that they moved it. How disrespectful." Sheik very clearly changed what he was going to say when he saw Midna's expression, the distress clear in her eyes.

"Do you think they placed the Spinner?"

"Probably. And then something killed them all. That makes it better, I suppose, but it's still sacrilegious." Sheik muttered, folding his arms across his chest tightly. Link felt a faint smile touch his lips. Sheik's mind was relatively calm, considering all that they'd done that night. It was nice.

"Well?"

"Well what?" He asked, blinking in confusion at the Sheikah.

"Get up there. There's probably a switch or an object of some sort up top. Go take care of it." Midna ordered sharply.

Link scowled at both of them, then stifled a yawn as he obeyed, asking Midna for the bulky object and then preparing it for the ride up.

It was night out, though, and the suddenly cool desert air woke him up a bit.

He made the mistake of glancing down, just before he reached the top, and he paled at how high up he was. Heights didn't usually bother him, but that was his Hylian form and his wolfos form did not approve at all of such high places-and he'd been a wolfos so recently that his mind still hadn't made the full adjustment back to Hylian.

On the exact center of Din's head was a switch, like those he'd found in the Grounds, designed for the Spinner alone-he had to place it just so and then spin it so that it cranked the mechanism within the statue.

He saw signs of it having been put there, tampering, like Sheik had said. Scratches and gouges across the metal and the way that the switch rocked slightly back and forth, showcasing just how badly the entire machine fit into the statue.

Maybe he'd pray later, to Din, to apologize for how thick-headed he was discovering his people could be. He doubted it would mean much to her, but he didn't need a third deity threatening to kill him. Majora scared him enough as it was, and he knew full well Nayru hadn't been joking.

The statue lowered as he turned the Spinner, and the floor in front of it shifted, revealing a platform with a stand on it holding something circular-he was too far away to tell what it was, but he assumed it was the Mirror of Twilight. He watched as Sheik and Midna made their way over to it, crouching lower as the statue neared the floor and came to a grinding halt with a violent shudder. He hopped off of the statue, dragging the Spinner behind him as he caught up with the two of them.

"…It's broken." Midna whispered.

It was. The stand it had rested had been crafted simply of a silvery metal, and Link was shocked at how _large_ it was, how big the mirror would have to be to fit into it. Only a small fragment of the bottom of the mirror remained in its frame, and Link frowned at it-it didn't appear to be a _reflective_ mirror, exactly. The markings were too prominent.

"We already knew that." Sheik pointed out, hesitantly reaching up and touching Midna's shoulder. Link's eyes widened and he slowed his pace down, stopping just behind them. Sheik was trying to _comfort_ her?

"You need to find someone else to get your cues from." Midna snorted, jerking away from him and snapping her fingers as she turned, sending both the mirror fragment and the Spinner into Link's shadow.

But her expression wasn't as harsh as it would have been otherwise.

"It isn't totally destroyed, right? We can fix it, can't we?" Link asked uncertainly, gaze flicking to Midna's.

"I-Maybe. Just…"

"Hero?" Sheik grabbed his arm as he spoke, and Link turned away from the mirror, frowning-and then he froze, eyes wide.

Seven translucent figures, faceless blobs holding vague shapes of bodies, stood in a line in front of them.

_"__Hero…We have been waiting." _

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**So I feel like this chapter is super short for some reason. But, anyway, it was either short or ungodly long, and it fit better to chop it in half. So the thing I was pumped for before happens next chapter, sorry, LOL. This chapter was just giving me trouble. Next chapter will have lots of stuff though, so look forward to that?**

**But, in celebration of Sheik's triumphant return tomorrow~(Gamestop releases Hyrule Warriors the 26th), and because once the game ships I won't be writing for a while...But, hope you enjoy.**


	15. Shadow Sage

Midna was the first to react, and she shoved past her boys to hover protectively in front of them. Sheik was a pain in the ass and Link was an idiot, but they were _her_ boys and she'd be _pissed_ if the ghosts did anything to them—she'd make what she was going to do to Zant look _merciful._

"Are you the Sages?" She asked sharply, moving back slightly until her hair was brushing Link's chest, just to make certain he would stay put. Sheik was more of a loose handle, but she could just bash him into the floor—if she didn't stop Link when he initially got aggressive, he was unstoppable. He'd nearly torn her throat out countless times when she'd first started ordering him around—though, granted, taking on the guise of his friend and mocking him with her disappearance hadn't been the smartest thing she'd ever done.

"_Yes_." She couldn't tell which one spoke, and it angered her.

"What are you all doing here?" Sheik asked softly. She could feel the frown in his voice, and he brushed past her a hair as they turned to face him. Their forms shuddered suddenly, and Midna blinked in surprise as their forms became more distinct, until they appeared as they must have when alive. Sheik's magic echoed around her, telling her it was his doing.

There was a brute of a Goron, though he was nowhere near as large as Darbus, and a Zora woman, though she was far less graceful looking than Ralis' people. A fat Hylian man with a massive white beard stared at them through bushy eyebrows, and a peculiar child clutched at his hand and peered at Link curiously through a curtain of green hair. A woman with dark skin and a figure reminiscent of a Twilit studied Midna curiously, and a Hylian woman with Zelda's aura stared at the three of them silently. Finally a Sheikah-well, she assumed he was a Sheikah-stood off to the side. He was taller and more muscular than Sheik—he had a clearly masculine build—and his clothing was red and black, with a red turban thrown over his head. He was staring at Sheik intently, and Midna's nerves pricked. Something was wrong with these Sages. Zelda stirred, whispering idly as she slid against Midna, so that she could see as well.

"_We were buried here, to make certain that Ganondorf did not escape his prison."_

"Hero, have there been any Sages since the Fracturing?" Sheik asked, ignoring the Sages entirely. Midna could have clapped. Sheik might have been a pain in the ass, but they thought along the same lines, when he wasn't trying to murder Link.

"Not that I know of." Link said slowly, puzzled. Sheik narrowed his eyes, and Midna realized he was still holding Link's arm. There was a pause, and Link seemed to realize the same thing because he moved to step in front of her. She shoved both of them back a step immediately.

She'd been content to let them sort out their issues by themselves, and they'd only made it worse. Scared her half to death by killing Link and fucking with each other's heads, and Zant's sudden blatant interest in both of them terrified her. She had been the only thing that had _ever_ interested him back home, and he'd very nearly broken her. She'd be damned if her boys were going to end up like her.

"So you're the same Sages that were alive when the Sheikah were massacred. Great. Now explain about the mirror, where Zant got his power, and tell us how we can stop him. And when I'm done with you, I'll turn you over to Sh-"

"_…__Son?" _The whisper cut her off abruptly, and any semblance of control she'd had over her boys broke.

"_Don't you dare!"_ Sheik tore past her, roaring with murder in his eyes and metal flashing at his fingertips. She moved to grab him but Link was far faster, neatly slipping an arm around his waist and dragging him away from the Sages before he could stab one of them to death. If it was possible, in any case.

The Sheikah had spoken, eyes somehow gaunt and filled with a nauseating mixture of hope and grief and desperation as they regarded Sheik. Sheik was absolutely still in Link's arms, motionless, though he clutched his blade with white knuckles and his eyes spat fire. It was almost impressive, Midna mused. Link seemed to be having a hard time of it, posture tense and head half-buried in Sheik's shoulder as he hissed in pain. Midna almost struck at the Sages before she realized that it was Sheik's rage that was hurting Link so badly.

"_Please…"_

"Shut it." Midna snapped, cutting the Sage off before he could speak. His eyes suddenly flashed, alive for once, as they rose to hers.

"_You have no authority over me, Twilight Princess."_ Well, shit.

She'd been hoping she wouldn't have to play on that yet, or add that to her boys' list of things to worry about. Link's head snapped up, expression still clenched in pain but his shock clear.

"Midna-"

"No authority my ass. Answer my questions or not only do I let Sheik kill you, I take both of them out of Hyrule and let Zant do as he pleases. I can lock him out of the Twilight Realm easily enough-and that's all I'm concerned with. I don't give a fuck what happens to Hyrule." Her voice came out pretty damn even, considering she was talking over Link.

_Liar_. Zelda didn't try to dissuade her-it was a threat and Midna fully intended to carry it out if pushed-but Midna internally snarled at Zelda, batting her away. She didn't need Hyrule's Princess poking any further into her head, friend or not.

After all, the only reason she hadn't already shut Zant out was because she wanted her revenge on the bastard.

Thankfully the Sages couldn't see into her mind, and the blonde woman stepped forward quickly. Zelda shifted closer to her mind again, relaying a sudden unease.

"_I will be brief. The Great Betrayal was hard on all of us. Most of us were either not willing to come here or dead by the time it occurred, and the Traitor brought our souls back from the afterlife, sacrificing thousands of creatures bound in the Shadow Temple to do so. Ganondorf was still a threat-especially with what had occurred-and we did try to bind him as best we could. He had taken the Triforce once out of grief and rage, and doing so a second time would have been far easier for him. I could not allow any more innocents to die. We failed, and locked him in another realm before he could escape. We didn't know it was part of your realm, Princess Midna, until it was too_-"

"I don't care for excuses and neither do my boys. Sheik has his issues and that means Link has his own issues with you, and Zelda doesn't like you either which is saying something. I don't know who this Ganondorf is and unless he has something to do with what's going on here, I don't care. Now about the mirror…?" Link moved and Midna turned her head to watch warily, half expecting him to let Sheik loose on the Sages. Instead he began slowly tugging Sheik backwards, leading the smaller boy back downstairs.

Smart. That probably shouldn't surprise her so much. She could handle this. Wasn't like she was alone, either, so...

"_Zelda_?" The woman echoed, staring at her in shock. Midna shot her an irritated look.

"Mirror."

"_Zant is not the true ruler of Twilight. He could only break the mirror, not destroy it, and he hid the pieces where he thought you would never find them. One lies on its pedestal, the only fragment we were able to save. __One reside with you…Another rests in the heavens, and the final piece rests in snowy mountain heights." _The Zora spoke, putting a hand on the blonde woman's shoulder and tugging her back a brief step. Zelda was pleased by that—they weren't the only ones giving ground.

"How'd he get the power to do that?"

"_The Triforce of Power belongs to the Last of the Gerudo Kings. Ganondorf. He wishes to return, to destroy Hyrule and its people."_

"No." Sheik's voice startled her, and she turned. He was sagging against Link's shoulder, looking half dead, but the fury in his eyes chilled even Midna to her core, though the gaze was directed at the blonde woman. Apparently they' hadn't gone downstairs.

"He won't touch the Zora. Or the Gorons. Or the Twili. Don't you _dare_ try to portray him like the monster you are." Anger flashed in her eyes.

"_I was_ dead_-_!"

"Because you ignored Lanayru's premonitions. You're as guilty as the Traitor, and, frankly, if Midna didn't need you I'd kill you." Sheik didn't even raise his voice. Impressive. Maybe she _should_ learn from him.

_He's so angry…_Zelda's voice startled Midna, and she turned her attention to Hyrule's Princess. There was a deep-seated sorrow welling up within Zelda, the kind of grief foreign to Midna, that only the tender-hearted could feel. It was beyond her why Zelda was even feeling it—Sheik, as was _very_ clear, had never _been_ innocent. He'd seen too much, been through too much. Mourning the loss of something that had never existed—

No. She wasn't going to go there, damn it!

_So learn,_ Midna snapped back, _and don't repeat their mistakes._ There was a touch too much venom in her voice, but that was accidental and Zelda could sense that.

"Mirror. One in the mountains—maybe Snowpeak? And one in the sky? How the fuck are we going to get up there? Zant's just an ass, you're okay, Midna. Got everything? So can I let Sheik go?" Link's voice was strained, rough, but the anger edging his words rang out clearly. Midna stared at him a moment, eyes wide.

He had no cause to hate the Sages. That hate was all Sheik's. And he wasn't fighting it—he was just accepting it, rolling with it.

Must be something wolf-related. He'd only changed back a little while ago—maybe an hour? It was a wonder he wasn't ripping out throats. Neither of her boys were good with self-restraint, and adding another's emotions onto their own would squash whatever restraint they _did _have.

Midna snapped her fingers, sending the Mirror fragment into Link's shadow, and wordlessly let herself fall back into it.

Unheard, even Zelda gave her boys her blessing.

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Link knew he was bruising Sheik, knew he was holding him too tightly, but if he didn't hold onto him tightly his grip would be too weak, overwhelmed by Sheik's anger, by that howling for bloodshed in the back of his mind, to stop him if Sheik did anything rash. He held onto him a second after Midna left, then relaxed his grip, pressing his face into Sheik's shoulder with a shaky sigh. An hour ago Sheik would have jerked away. Instead, Link felt him press his fist, still clenched around a weapon, against his hip reassuringly.

Or maybe it was a warning. It was getting hard to think straight through the bloodlust.

"_Please…"_ It was the Sheikah Sage. The Sage of Shadow, maybe. Weren't the Sages related to elements? Water, Spirit, Fire, Forest, Shadow, Light? Why were there seven?

"You're feeding them magic, aren't you?" Link mumbled. He felt Sheik's realization spark, calming some of his immediate rage for a second.

"If I stop supplying one of them, I stop supplying all of them. They're connected." Sheik said quietly, voice incredibly controlled. His shoulder was so _bony_. For Farore's sake, _he_ was bony. More uncomfortable than the Goron Mines had been, and then Link had been sleeping on metal sheets that were being heated by _lava_.

Fire. No, that only brought thoughts of destruction. Damn it.

"…Oh."

"_Where did Midna go?"_ Link looked up, resting his chin on Sheik as he looked up at the speaker. She sounded like Zelda. 'Cept colder. He was snarling at her before he realized what he was doing.

"It's _Princess_ Midna to you. And that's none of your fucking business." He reflexively tightened his grip on Sheik, and forced himself to relax.

And now his senses were shifting. He wasn't even _touching_ the shadow crystal and he could see the little colored sparking balls that were the Sage's souls, smell their scent—thick magic and pain and something hallow—lingering with Sheik's own scent, hear the sound the faint breeze made filtering through their forms. He knew his eyes were changing, pupils dilating, and he struggled to get a grip on it before he changed fully—the 'killing them' option was getting better every second he spent _not_ doing so.

"What are you doing here?" Sheik demanded—had he already asked that? Probably.

"_Ruto helped as many escape as she could. She laid down the foundations of recovery and aide, and after a few years of doing so was charged with high treason and executed. Her corpse was brought here, and the Zora split officially from Hyrule, and have refused to have any contact with them since, as far as I know. Darunia sealed off the passes to the desert, after a company of Hylian soldiers entered, and died of old age and was brought here by the Hylians. Saria was taken from the Great Deku Tree's own arms, so the Kokiri fled. Rauru came to try and stop this from happening. And your father and I were dragged here after the attack. The Traitor did something impossible and brought Zelda's body here. So we're buried and bound here. Power of the Sages is locked up in us, and it ate away at our souls. We're only here 'cause of your magic, kid. Zelda and Rauru were the two that had to kill Ganondorf. They failed. Threw him out of Hyrule. And here we are. You should listen to your father—"_

"I had a father and I watched him die saving my mother and myself. Don't you fucking _dare_ tell me that bastard's my father!" Sheik spat, jerking against Link's arms. He didn't pull away, but the movement startled Link.

"Sheik-"

_"__I thought you were dead. When we found Aveil's body—"_

"_Don't talk about her!"_ Sheik didn't move at all, but his roar was enough to silence even the Sage.

"You were _nothing!_ She was—she was your fucking _wife!_ And you couldn't even stop her from—"

"_She was trusted! Lanayru—"_

"Warned you, you bastard! She fucking _begged_ you to listen! And you ignored her! This—_all of this—_is on _your_ head! This was _your_ doing! The Traitor, and the Fracturing, and the Betrayal, and Aveil's death—they're all _your_ fault!"

So the Sheikah was Sheik's natural father. He'd said before he hated his natural parents, but…the guy was responsible for everything that had happened? Was that even _possible?_ Link couldn't believe that one man could have done all of that—especially a man that looked so broken, so old.

So—fucking—_dead._

_Damn it._ He tore his gaze away from the Sheikah, burying his face against Sheik again as he resolved to never look up again. Was this how Midna felt all the time? No wonder she was so violent.

"Touch me and I _will_ kill you." Sheik suddenly said, voice ice as he pushed himself back, against Link.

"_Please-"_

"No. You called her a traitor, but we fucking _trusted _you!"

"_She was charged with—_"

"I know what her duties were! I am not some _child_!" Sheik snarled. A small hand smoothed Link's hair back, and he again lifted his head. Midna had returned, and she eyed the Sages coolly.

"Go downstairs, the two of you. You need to calm down, Sheik. I'll stay up here." Link met her gaze, and he could see her worry reflected in her red-yellow eyes. Somehow he managed to nod, and he tugged gently on Sheik. Sheik went without a fight, though he did spit at the Sages—or maybe just the Sheikah Sage—before following Link.

They made it to the base of the tower and found a relatively large alcove-like structure to shelter in. Link slid to the ground, his eyes drifting shut. The bloodlust was mostly gone now, just a faint dull roar in the back of his head, not a persistent screaming.

A hand touched his cheek, tilting his head up, and he forced his eyes open—when had he gotten so tired?—and focused on Sheik. Sheik kept his expression carefully blank, his mind guarded as thickly as he could manage, but Link still very nearly jumped at how close Sheik was to him.

"…You need rest."

"You do too." Link murmured, tugging idly at Sheik's wrist. Sheik complied, and settled next to him.

"…You wanna talk about it?"

"You know what I've told you so far is only a fraction of the real mess." It wasn't a question, but Link nodded anyway. Sheik didn't say anything immediately.

"…That man was the leader of the Sheikah. Head Lokomo, if you want to think of it that way. He was married to the Shadow Sage, a woman named Impa." Sheik spat the name out like it was something foul.

"She lived with the Royal Family and watched over them. She was the personal protector and nurse of their daughter, Princess Zelda."

"…Not our Zelda, though, right?"

"No." It spoke volumes for how exhausted they were, that Sheik's voice didn't have any venom.

"Impa murdered Zelda, a girl that was her daughter in all but blood, and fed the Hylians lies about us, about how we had done it. Tensions were already high with the Gerudo, so they were lumped in as well. She told them where our village was, where our hiding places and sanctuaries were. She personally led more than one mass slaughter. And that man, that _bastard_ was responsible for her. He was her _husband_. He was Lanaryu's _priest_. He should have known what she was planning, that Lanayru had forsaken her. We call her the Traitor. I know you've heard the term before. And when the war broke out, he died in the final attack, when I escaped with Malladus and Veran. He was a fool, but at least he'd tried to make amends. I might hate her with everything I have, but at I thought that at least he wasn't as…" Sheik trailed off, and a spark of—of what? Confusion? Grief? Pain?—flickered in his mind. Link pulled him into a hug without a thought. Sheik had thought that at least one of his birth parents weren't monsters, and now he'd been proven wrong. Link had no idea how much that would hurt him, but he knew it did, and he would be damned if he didn't do everything he could to make it better.

"So the…Traitor…"

"Gave birth to me." Sheik said it sourly, shamefully. Link felt a flame of hatred for her burst to life in his chest.

"So…when Nayru said you were the only one that could unite the Sheikah, she was talking about birthright too, then. If you're the kid of their leaders." Sheik eyed him strangely for a moment.

"No. My birthright means they're a hundred times more likely to murder me." His tone said Link was stupid—and that made Link relax. It meant that Sheik was getting a grip on his anger, even if Link could still feel all of it. Maybe if Sheik behaved, he could too.

"They're bastards. You don't…they don't have to…" He realized he was having trouble talking straight at the same time Sheik did. Sheik shifted so he faced him fully, fidgeting with the bandages on his hand.

"Go to sleep." Sheik ordered, gaze not meeting Link's.

"Only if you do." Link replied immediately. Sheik scowled at him.

"I'm not—"

"If anything you need to sleep more than I do. If you go to sleep I will. Midna can wake us up if anything bad happens." Link replied. He hadn't realized he'd moved until he had Sheik pulled tight against him, his chin resting on Sheik's shoulder again. Sheik stiffened, reacting like he used to, but Link ignored it, his eyes drifting shut. He felt Sheik's magic spiral around them, maybe warding the alcove or something—and Sheik grabbed their bond and tugged once, sharply, and Link was asleep before he could say anything in protest.

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Sheik woke incredibly slowly. Link was still deeply asleep, and that tugged at his own conscious, trying to pull him back into dreams. It took a gargantuan amount of effort to shrug it off and open his eyes—to see Midna snickering to herself, eyeing him wickedly.

"Cute." She said, and dissolved into loud peals of laughter.

His head was resting on Link's shoulder, and Link's arms were firmly entangled around Sheik's waist, Sheik realized, and he scowled as he cast out for Link's mind. It was perilously close to his animal mind—he'd had immense trouble controlling his form last night, Sheik realized—and after a few seconds of poking around, Sheik determined that any attempt to get away from the Hero would result in a situation that Sheik had no desire to live through. Damned wolfos.

"Isn't he your mutt?" Sheik drawled, glaring at her.

"Like I said before—it isn't my problem anymore. _I_ sleep in the shadows." Midna cackled, folding her arms behind her head. They fell silent for a moment, regarding each other, and Midna's smirk slowly slipped away.

"Zelda's not happy with you. Did you know that the other Zelda was up there?" Sheik shrugged.

"I knew that the Sages were here. There are only six Sages, though. Maybe the Traitor thought it would make up for her murder, if she bound her soul to the Sages. Maybe she was an experiment." Midna's expression suddenly became hard, annoyed.

"Zelda wants you to help her write an accurate history when this is over. About what happened."

"No."

"That's what I told her you'd say." Midna sighed, drifting over to them.

"Your magic's weak. I'm surprised the breeze didn't knock it over. Link's pack has some food in it." She added, snapping her fingers. A heavy brown bag dropped onto the sand near Sheik's stomach, and he scowled.

"I don't want to wake him up."

"Then I guess you'll starve."

It was astounding how much she cared.

It took a little bit of work, but he managed to get his arms free. The movement woke Link briefly, and he released Sheik before falling back into a dead sleep. Shaking his head at the Hylian, Sheik tugged the pack closer and undid its straps. It took some rummaging before he found the promised food, but he ate silently, still exhausted and unwilling to even begin to think about who waited for them above their heads.

"You need to keep a lid on it."

His gaze flickered up, to Midna, and he stared at her silently, waiting for her to continue.

"You damn near killed Link. Whatever's going on in that head of yours? I don't give a fuck how it affects you, but you're going to seriously hurt Link if you don't tone it the fuck down." Midna's eyes remained even, but her tone was harsh. She expected him to snap back, to fight—but in all honesty, he was too tired, to drained, to even do that.

"…After we leave here, we'll recuperate. I can feel him, you know. All of this…insanity. He can't take much more of it. Last night I could feel him almost forcing himself into his other form. I know that was my fault. The best I can do is try to block him out, and deal with it while I'm too tired to kill anything." Her questioning gaze caught his, and he shrugged, slumping against Link.

"I don't plan on ever returning here when we leave. They won't have much longer left anyway. My magic is fraying their bonds. In a few decades or so they'll disintegrate."

"You wouldn't even let them go to the afterlife?" He scowled at her, eyes narrowing as exasperation bubbled up within him. Was this Zelda talking, or Midna? Why did she always question him when he said something to that affect?

"Why would I?" Midna snorted, unfolding her arms.

"Get up there. Deal with it before he wakes up." He was grateful that Midna didn't call him his father—he doubted he'd have been able to handle that. He could barely handle _seeing_ the bastard.

Link shifted in his sleep, his mind sparking awake for a second—Sheik immediately pushed. Link floundered for a moment, startled, and Sheik pushed again, harder, and Link calmed down, dropping back into sleep without a fuss.

Sheik blinked, refocusing on Midna, and gasped as nausea hit him like a brick wall. He doubled over, expecting to vomit—but it passed after a second, leaving him shuddering.

"What did you do?"

"I—_damn. _Tried to—_damn_." Sheik gasped again, struggling to his feet. His head swam, and his exhaustion hit him hard, but he forced himself to shake it off. Midna looked like she was ready to spring into action at any moment, eyes narrowed as she glared at him. Sheik shook his head slowly, and raked a hand through his hair as he sagged against the building.

A long strand of bandages came free with his fingers, and he let out a sigh. He knew his hair was a mess, but he'd hoped it would at least stay mostly bound. He wound the cloth around his wrist as strands fell around his face.

"What'd you do?"

"Put him to sleep. He needs it." Sheik murmured, and pushed himself off the building, heading up the stairs.

He needed more rest, time to heal and recover from everything. For Lanayru's sake, he'd _bound his soul_ to the Hero's, fought a Stallord and _won_, was still feeding the Sages what was left of his magic—and that wasn't even all of it. And Link?

The whisper of desert magic told him of her approach, and he stopped, letting out a sigh as the Sage of Spirit appeared in front of him.

"_You're not going anywhere until—_Hey_!"_ She cried, furious, as Sheik walked through her. He felt a spectral fist fly through him, a shiver of cold racing through him, but he ignored her.

"_Stop moving and talk to me, you bastard!_"

"I owe you nothing."

"_Like fuck you don't_!"

"You're his ally."

"I was her mother!"

That froze him in his tracks. He might have been too tired to feel the full extent of his hatred, but age-old grief was something entirely different.

"_She died and while your father is the only man besides Ganondorf to have ever earned my respect and hold it, he refuses to tell me how. I don't know if it's because he doesn't know or if he thinks he's protecting me. You're going to tell me."_ It was a request he couldn't refuse, though calling the bastard his father stung.

"…We were near the front, and they attacked at the back. It was chaos. Those in the back were caught unaware, but they lasted long enough for most of the elders to get armed. The elder we were traveling with left to go fight, and they broke through near us. My…mother and my father reached us and started fighting them off. One of them slipped through and…She fell against me. Asked me where Uncle was. Told me the Hero had once let her ride on his shoulders. Asked why he'd kill us now when he'd been so nice then. And she stopped breathing." He exhaled, sagging against the side of the tower again. He refused to turn, to look at her.

"Malladus had to carry me away. I wouldn't leave her body. She was the first person I'd ever seen die." He spoke softer, letting her hear his sympathy, and pushed off the wall. He left her there, feeling her grief as sharply as he felt his own.

He'd gone years without thinking of Aveil. He'd even managed to mostly avoid thinking about her with Link. It still hurt—he'd never been able to avenge her, or to even put her to rest. He'd had to leave her body to them—and Lanayru knew what they'd done to it. She'd been the only friend he'd ever had, besides Skull Kid, and Majora, if one could count Majora.

Sheik couldn't think of Link as a friend. They were bonded, not entirely by choice, and Sheik was bound to keep the Hylian safe until Zant was dead. Link had declared on more than one occasion that he cared about Sheik—but thinking of the Hylian as something so close, so intimate, felt like a betrayal of his people and what both he and they had suffered at the hands of Link's kind.

And he was the _Hero_ for Lanayru's sake.

None of the other Sages were waiting for him when he reached the top. Just Agahnim.

The ex-priest was waiting for him, spirit small and washed out. Even the red of his turban was almost a pink, but his eyes lit up, vibrant with color, when he saw Sheik, and it took all of Sheik's willpower to not turn back around and go back to Link, or to beat that expression from the bastard's face.

"_You came."_

"I want you denounce me." The Sheikah's expression froze, and he stared at Sheik in shock.

"I've denounced you already, but that will mean nothing to the others, when I find them. You denying my blood will carry more weight." Sheik said flatly, gaze not wavering from the Sheikah's.

He looked absolutely stricken.

"_…__What?"_

"You heard me." The Sage stood frozen for a moment, as if he were a statue. Sheik stared at him, gaze resolute, steeled. When the Sheikah moved, it was sudden, so quick it startled Sheik.

"_No!"_ He lunged forward as he spoke, but caught himself before he tried to grab Sheik—not that it would have done any good anyway. Sheik jerked back, a blade falling to the tip of his fingers reflexively.

"_You are my _son_! I will not denounce you!"_ Sheik bristled and began to turn.

"Then I have no—"

"_Last time I saw you—"_

_"__Don't!"_ Sheik barely recognized his own rage, it was so sudden, so furious, so _deep._

_"_You _left._ You _died_. You _betrayed_ us! I had a father! I had a mother! And they're both dead—and _they were not you!_ I owe you _nothing_ and you are nothing to me!" Sheik caught himself before he could say anything else and stared, damn near _trembling_, at the bastard.

"…_I would not have left if I had had a choice. I thought that I could, perhaps, reason with the Hero of Time. I had to try."_

_Reasoning _with the bastard?

"_I failed."_

_"_Why you? Why did you have to go?" Sheik's voice was unsteady, shaking, and it woke Link far below. Sheik thrust as many clumsy blocks as he could against Link's mind quickly. He didn't want the Hero to feel him so broken, so childlike. It was bad enough that Agahnim had to hear it.

"…_He believed I wronged him. Not just myself, but the Sheikah race as a whole. He thought he had been betrayed, that he had lost someone he loved dearly. Your mo…the Traitor…knew how to make him believe that. But…I was very close to the problem. I don't know if you remember, but I promised you, when I took you away from your…her…that I wouldn't leave you. I honestly believed I could reason with him, and I left you in your grandfather's care. I…I shouldn't have."_

"…Why would…why would the…Traitor do it? Veran said she thought we had something the Traitor wanted, but…" It was a slip-up on Sheik's part, but the Sheikah didn't seem to notice, or care.

"_...She never told me, though we believe it was for the Triforce."_

It was a blow to the stomach. Everything they'd suffered, everything they had survived and gone through and _died_ for, and it had all been for _that_? An artifact no Sheikah had ever possessed to begin with?

"…_Specifically that of Wisdom."_

_Wisdom?_ Midna's little parasite had that. Zelda. She'd been captured by Zant, but she'd been kept alive—Zant was waiting for something, wasn't he? Otherwise he'd have killed Link earlier.

A thread of ice ran down his spine. The Traitor…could she be…?

No. That had been five hundred years ago.

But Sheik was still alive.

_"__How did you come to be traveling with this Hero? You hold so tightly to the past—surely you have not forgiven this Hero for the crimes of the last?"_

"…No. You know what Zant's magic is doing to Hyrule. It will kill any other survivors if I let it go unchecked, and Link is the only person capable of wielding the only blade needed to kill him."

"_You could have simply watched over him from the shadows then, s…Sheik." _Agahnim pressed. Sheik barely noticed, still too horrified by the prospect that _she_ could be alive as well. He didn't respond immediately, and in that moment of pause his brain caught up to Agahnim's intentions. His jaw snapped shut, and he looked at the man, eyes cold, disgust clear.

"For a moment I'd hoped you weren't as foul as I believed you were. My father told me you were a fool." It was a not-so-subtle jab. Agahnim wanted to know more about the child he'd abandoned? Fine. Still, he took no pleasure in the hurt, the rage, that flickered across Agahnim's face.

"_Your _father?_Then tell me what man would dare take that title for his own, when you are _my_son!"_

"Dare? _Dare?_ It was _my_ choice to call Malladus my father! _My _choice to call Veran my mother! I share _their_ blood, not yours! I am your _nothing, _and if you so much as _try_ to insult _either_ of them _ever_ again I will _destroy_ you!" Sheik snarled, slashing a blade through the Shadow Sage's spectral form. The Sheikah jerked backwards—and Sheik's blade spun through his essence harmlessly.

"_Veran? Malladus? You…You call such creatures your _parents?" That seemed to shock Agahnim more than anything else Sheik had said.

"And he calls the mutt below his bonded, and a dark god his best friend. Sorry to interrupt, but you made Link panic again." Sheik spun around and fixed Midna with a glare. She smirked at him, but the smile fell away when she looked at Agahnim.

She was giving Sheik a way out—a way to leave without doing anything incredibly stupid. His first instinct was to hate her for it, but he ignored that. He hesitantly undammed the blocks he'd put in place, and stumbled as Link's mid crashed into his—

_—__fear, panic, relief, rage—_

"You gonna die?" Midna's callous voice snapped him out of it, and he blinked, startled, as she nudged him. He pulled away from her, withdrawing.

"I'm going to him."

"_Bonded?! You are…You are bonded to…"_

"It's none of your concern." Sheik spat, shooting Midna a sharp look as he hurried down the stairs. He heard Midna let out a deadly sort of laugh as he did so.

"Real winner, huh?"

Link met him halfway down, gaze anxious, worried.

"You're hurt."

Sheik began to shake his head, and realized Link didn't mean a physical pain. He scowled at the Hylian, suddenly hating that Link was there, present in the back of his mind, hating that they were _bonded_—

"I'm sorry." Link was hugging him, again. Sheik squirmed half-heartedly, his hate suddenly gone.

"Let go."

"We know where we gotta go next, right? So we can leave?" Link asked, instead of releasing him.

"…Where are we going?"

"Castle Town. 'Till we're stocked up on stuff and recovered, and maybe Shad'll have something about this bond-y stuff that we can use to sort it out. Then we'll go to Snowpeak. And don't worry, 'cause Midna can get us back to Castle Town super fast." Sheik stared blankly over Link's shoulder for a moment before he realized what Link was talking about, then scowled.

"You're talking about warping?"

"It's not that bad. You can't judge something if you've never tried it before." Link added reproachfully, pulling away. Sheik ignored him, and continued walking.

"…Sheik?" Link's voice was suddenly quiet, hesitant. Sheik stopped and glanced over his shoulder at the Hylian, one hand on the tower's wall. He felt Link's indecision, faintly.

"…So, do you want me to go get Midna?" It wasn't what Link had wanted to ask, Sheik knew, but he had no desire to press it.

"No. Leave her be." Sheik's voice was harsh. He didn't want the Hero anywhere near Agahnim.

"Alright. Hey, did Midna feed you? 'Cause she didn't feed me, and I'm hungry." Link asked, hurrying after him as Sheik resumed walking.

"She left a pack sitting out." Sheik murmured, watching Link carefully as the Hylian immediately hurried past him. Neither of them spoke again until they were back in the alcove and Link was eating. Sheik stared out at the desert, silent as he braided his hair again.

"…So, when you and Ralis got swept away, Shad stopped me 'fore I left." Sheik blinked and focused on the Hero, frowning. What did this have to do with anything? And why bring it up _now?_

"Probably should have mentioned it sooner but all this shit's been happening and all, so, sorry. But wherever you told him you were from, apparently you can't be from. Shad said that over four hundred years ago some magic barrier or something enveloped the whole place and no one's been in or out since."

"_What?!"_

"I don't know anything more than that. Shad was excited about it and all, but I was angry at him 'cause I'd told him to leave it alone and he hadn't. I'm sure if you asked him he would know more, but—"

"Are you _positive? _Link, if you misheard—" Link shook his head quickly, and Sheik fell silent, eyes wide as he stared at the Hero.

Was he _serious?_ That sort of barrier would require massive amounts of power—the kind that Malladus _could_ generate when formless—but to harness that would be damn near impossible, and Malladus wouldn't be able to do that without help. But the time sounded about right, and…it was too much of a coincidence to be anything less than Malladus.

_He was alive?_

"I'm positive. So when we're done with all this we can go wherever it is your dad's at. I don't know how we'll get in if the place is closed off or whatever, but we'll try." Link said, flashing him a grin.

_He was alive._

Malladus was _alive._

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**:D An update. Yay. Hopefully you all liked it. Merry Christmas and all that x3**

**…****Well, I'm sorry. Took forever. Just got stuck at the beginning and ended up rewriting it like, four times. Been making AMVs and writing a different Zelda fic—a Modern AU—so I don't have much of an excuse.**

**Anyway, thanks for all the support. It means a lot to me. Hopefully I'll get the next couple chapters out sooner, when I finally write them.**

**BUT WOW! THIS IS CHAPTER FIFTEEN. THIS STORY IS SO FRICKIN LONG. x3**


	16. Shadow Thanking

Midna folded her arms over her chest, glaring at the Shadow Sage over the glittering mirror shards laid out on the sand between them. He looked like shit, in all honesty. She had no sympathy for him, but Zelda did, and it ached somewhere in her. He'd just found his long-lost son, discovered the boy hated him and blamed him for the death of not just one but two entire races, found out that said son had been raised by two beings who had probably hated him…and said son's soul was magically bound to the only man—well…boy—to inherit the legacy of the man who'd _really_ murdered him.

If she hadn't been harboring Zelda's soul, she'd have been thoroughly amused.

"What am I? What are the Twili? Because our language is yours—_was_ yours—and my magic is _pretty_ close to his. What did you do?" Grilling him now, just after Sheik had gone back down the tower, was the only way to get the truth out of him. He was in shock, preoccupied, and she knew how to push.

_"…__You think we could sit idly by while our people died around us? Ganondorf had the Triforce of Power at his disposal. I was the Sage of Shadow, and Nabooru served him as well. We…prepared something. When things grew desperate—as I died—we cast the spell. A mirror that would take us from Hyrule. We could not tell where. We had no way of knowing—only that it was the best chance we had, though it cost us terribly. It tore our people's magic from them—devoured everyone's magic to tear them from Hyrule. I…I had no idea it had succeeded. When the Traitor and the others discovered what we'd done…They banished Ganondorf there to mock our attempt at saving them."_

"But you knew about the Mirror."

"_We got over our shock when Zant came to break it." _She turned to see the Twilit-esque woman striding up to them, arms folded over her chest.

"Aw, cute. He made such a good impression. Almost as good as my boys, hmm? I'm done. Sheik'll be interested to hear this—though we do have _one_ thing left to say." She added as she snapped her fingers, sending the pieces of the mirror spiraling into Link's shadow. Both Sages broke off glaring long enough to focus on her, and she smirked as Zelda rose up, until they were both in control—even, one eye blue, one eye yellow. It was a little strange to think of control in terms of eyes, but Midna had long ago learned that her eyes told who was in control—and, while unorthodox, it was easiest.

"If you so much as _think_ about going near Sheik, we'll make sure your soul never leaves this tower. We'll bind you here for eternity, and once your fellow Sages pass on, you'll be all that's left—alone. And don't tell us we can't. I have the Fused Shadows now, and Zelda has the Triforce. And I don't think Link would be hard to convince, either." She waved her fingers at the Shadow Sage, and dissolved into Twilight particles, taking the easy trip back down the tower. She was content—she'd learned what she had wanted to, _and_ she'd gotten to threaten someone.

And for once, Zelda wasn't afraid of her own cruelty.

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They didn't say goodbye to the Sages. Midna did, but she was alone in that. Sheik slept beside Link until she returned, and then they gathered their things. The two were lucky he was half asleep when Midna warped them—it wasn't _painful_, but it was incredibly uncomfortable and it tore at his magic until there was nothing left but his core.

A peal of laughter drew him out of his thoughts, and he glanced towards its source—Midna, doubled over, was perched on Link's back. He danced away from both of them automatically, shying away from the wolfos, and felt Link's hurt echo somewhere in the back of Link's mind. The animal stared at him, eyes pitiful and pouting as it—as _Link_—whined. Sheik responded by grabbing the threads of shadow magic in Link's mind and tugging, forcing him out of his wolfos form.

"Hey!" Midna cried, flying off of him as he crumpled, form covered in Twilight particles.

"Dammit—stop doing that!" Link gasped as he staggered to his feet. Sheik caught the shadow crystal as it fell and tucked it into its bag, stiffening when Link threw his arms around him.

"Will you be alright heading in there yourself? I've gotta…do something. I'll be safe and all that, and I'll take Midna with me, but…"

"If you get _off_—"

"Sorry!" Link hopped back immediately, but he didn't _look_ apologetic.

"…I'll go to the bar. Don't be long." Link flashed him a grin, but his eyes were cold—something was festering in his mind. Anger? Hatred? Sheik couldn't tell. He wasn't sure how he had missed it for so long, though. Unless it was a recent thing…

"I won't. C'mon, Midna." He called, turning and jogging off. Sheik stared after him, watching Midna's trail of shadows slip into his, and he let out a soft sigh before dropping his bag to the ground and pulling out Veran's cloak.

It was early in the morning, so there were very few people out. It was still mostly dark—the sun rose earlier in the desert than it did in Hyrule—so Sheik managed to get to the bar without anyone seeing him.

He kept a close eye on his bond to Link while he walked, but only probed it when a sudden distance enveloped it—and relaxed when Link shot a wave of reassurance, tinged heavily with anger, back.

There was no one in the bar when he got there, so he found a corner and curled up there, his back against hard stone and the entrance clear within his sights.

And waited.

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It was disconcerting to see the golden wolfos after so long. Not after what he knew—what he _suspected_, technically—about it.

He hadn't thought about the ghostly warrior until he'd seen the absolute shock on Sheik's face, when he'd learned his father might still be alive somewhere. He'd looked like someone had struck him, too scared to even _hope_ that it was true until Link had reassured him.

And he'd remembered Midna theorizing that the golden wolfos was a previous hero—but if what Sheik had said was true, then the Sheikah had taken care of all the dead things until the second Great Betrayal. Which left only one hero who hadn't been properly laid to rest.

The animal stared at him silently for a moment before rising from its haunches, and dissolving into a flurry of golden light. Link's hand reflexively tightened around the hilt of his sword as the skeleton took shape.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and wore heavy armor that had, at one point, been ornate. Now it was broken and missing pieces, though it was still harder than anything Link had ever known before. A single eye socket gazed at him, a sharp yellow light illuminating its depths. His limbs were bone, though tendrils of ivy wove between his remains and armor as if tying him together.

"_I see you have obtained the Blade of Evil's Bane."_ Link couldn't tell if the skeleton smiled at him, but the thought of such a fatherly gesture coming from such a _murderer _turned his stomach. Was this how Sheik had felt, speaking to the Sheikah in the desert?

"…I'm going to ask you a question. It's a simple one, alright? Yes or no. And if you don't answer, I swear to the _Three_ I'll kill you on the spot."

The skeleton's surprise was a tangible thing. The world around them, a misty expanse of sapphire sky and white, pearlescent earth, seemed to suddenly hold its breath. Sheik's mind brushed against his, a brief touch of passing concern, and Link took a deep breath, forcing his hand to unclench from around the Master Sword's hilt.

Sheik's sudden worry for him made his anger ache, suddenly, painfully. He wasn't sure if he loved Sheik, but he knew he cared deeply for him. Not just because of the bond and the Beast, but...in the same way he'd become very quickly devoted to Midna, he was loyal to Sheik.

He wasn't going to stand by and let anyone who'd hurt him—anyone who'd _threaten_ him—breathe while he could help it.

"Were you the Hero of Time?"

"_...Once."_ The skeleton murmured, nodding slowly.

Link had been expecting that answer, but the betrayal still hit him like stone. He'd _trusted_ the warrior. He'd listened to his advice, _trained_ under him, for Farore's sake, and he'd been a—a what? Link didn't even have a _name_ for the kind of monster the Hero of Time was. And that wasn't even for the massacres—those were horrible, but the only injustice racing in Link's mind was what he'd done to _Sheik, _what _Sheik_ had lost and endured and suffered through. He'd carve out a special place in the Dark Realm _just_ for the bastard when this was—

"_Why do you ask, Link?"_ The sound of his name hissing from the monster's teeth snapped him out of his thoughts harshly.

"…I went to the Temple of Time to get the Master Sword. And I met someone there who's been helping me—getting Midna's mirror shards and figuring out what the fuck is going on and teaching me how to actually _use_ this damned thing." Link flicked the Master Sword up as he spoke, eyes glued to a spot far to the skeleton's left. Looking at him would be too much.

"...That was after he stopped trying to kill me, of course. 'Cause funny story. For a moment, he I thought I was just like _you."_

The temperature dropped by about twenty degrees. Link could see his own breath.

_"…__You met a Sheikah?"_

"Met. Yeah, sure, you can call it that. And, you know, he told me what you did."

"_And did this Sheikah tell you what _they_did?"_

Oh, the bastard knew _just_ how to push his buttons, didn't he?

"What _one_ of them did! You can't blame a whole race for one woman's fuck up! So she murdered someone! Big fucking deal! Kill her and get your shit over with! You don't run them down like fucking _animals_ and murder them—their _children_ for Din's sake!"

The skeleton snapped his blade up, leveling it at Link in an instant. That children comment, Link realized, had hit its mark.

"_You know nothing."_

"Nothing my fucking ass!"

"_They were collaborating with the Gerudo King, Ganondorf. He had destroyed Hyrule once, and time had been rewritten to stop him. They would have brought Hyrule—"_

"Will you _stop?!_ Do you have _any_ idea what you _did_ to him? You single-handedly killed every _single_ person that Sheik had _ever_ known—everyone he has _ever_ loved—and it's because of _you_ that he's so—_fuck. _Even Midna—"

She appeared, looking disoriented, and spun around quickly. It shocked him into silence—she'd _never_ appeared there before. What reason could she have for appearing _now?_ She could _see_ what happened, from his shadow, but she'd never shown herself.

"What the fuck did you—Damn it, Link, how many times have I told you _not_ to do that?" She snarled. He stared at her blankly, for an instant his anger gone—he was just confused, and Sheik's mind brushed his again before fading away, keeping his blind rage from returning. Was she mad that he'd said her name?

Her blazing yellow eyes focused on the spirit behind him, and in an instant she was cool, collected again.

"Oh. I get it. You poor bastard, you have no idea what he's going to do to you, do you?" Midna cackled, floating over to the old warrior. The two regarded each other, the skeleton's eyes gaunt with shock, wariness. Midna was silent a moment longer before speaking.

"You know, he's not the only one who wants your head. 'Cause, see, they weren't just _Sheik's_ people. They were _mine._" She turned her head to Link, and smiled the same deadly smile she'd given Zelda when he'd first met her.

"So. What do you want to do with him?"

"_S-Sheik?!" _The skeleton's blade fell to the ground, ringing faintly as he gaped at Midna. Link didn't notice.

And a tiny part of him that had been terrified he would do something beyond horrible, that he would do something he'd regret, calmed. Because he knew, then, with Midna at his side, what they were going to do.

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"…Uh, hello?" Sheik didn't open his eyes, just uncurled from his little corner, stood, and lifted a blade towards the speaker. Then he opened his eyes, gazing at the speaker—and his blood turned to ice.

For a moment, he was five again, frozen to the spot as Malladus' true form exploded outwards, blood spraying the air and a lone man jumping from a balcony, plunging straight towards his father.

He knew Link's mind had tempered him, changed him, when he didn't immediately kill the man. His grip on his blade tightened, but he didn't lunge.

The man standing before him looked exactly like the Hylian that had jumped from that balcony all those years ago—the one who had slain Malladus.

"Your name."

The man wasn't _tall_, but he was taller than Sheik, and was clad in messy armor that had obviously been cobbled together from a multitude of sets. An old blade hung at his side, and he wore a strange armguard on one of his arms. He was old, though. Not as old as Auru, but he wasn't young either. Old enough to be a father. Older than the man who had slain his father by maybe twenty years.

"Ah, Rusl. Are you…with the Resistance as well, then? I'm afraid I'm a bit new to the group."

_Rusl._ That name was familiar. The man must know Link, he realized. So he _couldn't_ kill him.

"No. I am...Link's…companion." The man's eyes lit up, and Sheik uneasily lowered his blade. He didn't like being near the man, and not just for who he reminded him of.

"Where is he? Is he here?"

"…He is taking care of something. He will be here soon." The man laughed, seemingly unperturbed by Sheik's wording. Sheik just stared at him, still trying to remember _where_ he knew the man's name from.

"Ah, that's wonderful. What's your name, then? How'd you come to travel with Link, if you don't mind me asking?"

"…You're the one, aren't you? Who tried to teach him how to wield a blade. How can you attempt something so _ambitious_ when you yourself can barley _hold_ a sword?" Sheik's venom didn't seem to upset him. The man laughed.

"I'm self-taught. Most are, in Ordon."

"It took two _days_ for him to unlearn what you'd taught him." Sheik said sourly, glaring. Somehow, the man's tone, his posture, began to put Sheik at ease—despite who he looked like.

"So you're teaching him? That's good. He doesn't talk to me, but I know he's doing something dangerous. I'm glad he's preparing himself for it." A light silence fell over them, and Sheik came to the realization that he was doing everything he could to avoid looking directly at the man, at the same moment it seemed to occur to Rusl.

"Are you alright?" That forced Sheik's eyes to his.

"…Don't ever get any closer to me than you are now. Don't ever approach me in the dark, or from behind without warning me first." The man took a step back, bewildered.

"Why-?!" Sheik tilted his head to the side, eyes narrow. And then Link's mind snapped violently in turmoil—

"You look exactly like the man who murdered my father. And Link does not approve of me slaying his..._allies._ This is a warning. Stay away." The words came only as a product of his sudden disorientation—he hadn't _ever_ felt Link's presence so acutely in his mind—and he shot a needle of rage towards the Hero's mind in retaliation.

_…__petty…_

Beth's voice was small, but his head snapped up the moment he heard it. It hurt, but only slightly—nowhere near as much as he had thought it would. Some tiny knot of tension he hadn't known he'd been clinging to relaxed, to hear her. He'd grown to almost _miss_ her voice.

_Beth…_

"What's wrong?" It took a second for Sheik to realize the Hylian had spoken.

"…Noth—_ah!"_

Something large and painful and _powerful_ slammed into the Ninth with all the force of the Triforce and Fused Shadows, and something _screamed—_

_"__What—No!"_ Sheik briefly registered that he stumbled back, doubling over as the Ninth screamed and something else, something _festering_ was forced into it and—

"What's going—what the fuck is he doing here?!"

"No—stay away!"

"What are you-?!"

"Get back!"

Beth was angry, furious. He felt her as acutely as he felt Link's presence, getting closer, stronger. The Ninth was aching, whining in pain, _begging_ for him—

_Oh dear Lanaryu-!_

"_Get back!"_

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Link had only run as hard as he was twice before in his life. The first time, when he'd woken bloody and disoriented to find Ilia and Colin and Epona gone and a wall of Twilight looming over Ordon. The second, when Midna lay dying on his back, trembling and whispering quietly that she was sorry for what she'd done to him.

The first had been the Bulbin's fault. The second had been Zant's. This—_this_ was his.

Louise was waiting at Telma's door, pacing agitatedly. He could hear raised voices, muffled through the thick wood of the door—and it crashed against the wall as he threw it open, almost tripping over himself in his haste to get in. It registered that Rusl was there, seemingly arguing with Ashei and Telma, but his focus went solely to Sheik.

"_What did you do?!"_ That silenced the others. Sheik didn't look up from where he sat crumpled on the ground, hands clapped over his ears, eyes wide with shock as he stared blankly at the floor, shoulders heaving. Link dropped down beside him.

"He was dead. And I wasn't gonna let him—He's not going to hurt anyone else."

"No—He—" Very slowly, Link pulled Sheik against him, enveloping him in a hug. Sheik let him, body stiff but not in discomfort. He was still too shocked to process it.

"He was dead. Just not at peace." Link wasn't sure how else to describe it. He didn't know what Sheik did about the dead.

"The Ninth—it's—_how could you put him there?!_ It's a place of _peace_ for the dead—he never should have—" Sheik snarled, jerking away from him, hands falling from his ears.

"What do you think they're going to do to him?" Link asked quickly, before Sheik could get too worked up to listen to him, resting his forehead against Sheik's. That stopped Sheik cold, and he stared at him, ruby orbs wide, looking like he was on the verge of tears.

For a moment, all was silent.

"He's the reason you're not with them. They _know_ that. What do you think they're going to do to him? You think they're gonna let him sit there? That they're going to just kill him outright? You know what they'll do." Link murmured, gaze never wavering from Sheik's.

And, slowly, Sheik closed his eyes, dropping his head onto Link's shoulder.

"…It's alright. She made sure we didn't break anything or damage anything. It's alright." He tried to push as much reassurance, as much calm, as he could into Sheik's mind. There was a resistance at first, and then wisps of Sheik's mind pulled away, brushing against his own for an instant.

"…Thank you." Link let himself sit there a moment longer before letting go of Sheik, standing as he turned to face the others.

"What do you think you're doing back here?" Ashei asked, eyes blazing. Rusl was staring at him, gaze flickering between him and Sheik and Ashei and Telma. Ashei had a sword drawn.

"Auru's in _jail_ in the Zora's Domain because of y—"

"He's _lucky_ he's not _dead_."Link snapped, cutting her off. She stopped, gaping at him.

"Did they tell you what he _did?_ That he tried to fucking _murder_ Sheik—that he did it in front of the fucking Zora _prince?_ And Sheik _saved his fucking life. _He's _lucky_ I didn't get there sooner 'cause I would have killed the bastard."

"Link-!" Rusl cried, looking at him in horror. He'd never liked Link swearing.

"_Do you have any idea—!"_

"I told you to stay out of it! I told _all _of you to leave Sheik the _fuck_ alone! And he _didn't _and Sheik almost got _killed_ because of it! And if that happens again—_I swear to Din,_ if that happens _again_—I won't be as fucking merciful as the Zora were."

"_Link_!" He shot a glare to Rusl, warning the man to shut up.

Sheik's hand touched his arm and Link glanced at him. He was standing.

"Why did she help you?" His gaze was uncertain, tone tense. Link felt his anger dissipating immediately.

"Uh, you're related?" Sheik's expression dropped—went unnaturally blank.

"…That's impossible." Any emotion, any grief, any relief he'd been showing a second before was gone, wiped away.

"That's what she said to him before we—ah, you know. You'd have to ask her." Link turned to face Telma, folding his arms across his chest.

"If you want some sort of apology you're not getting one. But if you don't want us here, I understand. We'll go." He didn't look at Sheik as he spoke, or Ashei.

"How long are you planning on staying in Castle Town, Link?" Rusl asked, before Telma could reply. Link looked at him and shrugged.

"A while. We…ah…had a hard time in the desert. We've got a lot of research and sleeping to do." He felt Sheik's amusement flare up, and shot him a dirty look over his shoulder.

How could Sheik move on so quickly? He'd met his birth father, found out that he was helping those that had killed their people in the first place, discovered that his adopted father was still alive, discovered the man who'd started the massacres was not only still alive but now sentenced to a fate worse than death, and that Midna's people had once been his own—all in the span of two days. And _before_ that?

"Training. Whether we stay here or not." Link stiffened, and opened his mouth to protest—and felt something sharp dig into his back. His shoulders slumped, but Sheik didn't say it—thank _Farore._

"I want an explanation. Then you can stay." Telma said bluntly, a hand on her hip. Sheik let out a soft noise, probably meant to be a laugh as the sharp object vanished.

"We'll leave."

"Sheik, if we leave, you get more people asking more questions about you." Link droned, running his hand through his hair. Sheik's eyes narrowed, and distrust flared within his mind. Then coldness. Link's eyes widened and he took half a step back.

"What are you—" Sheiks' magic swept into his shadow, latched onto Midna, and yanked her free with all the force of his considerable power. Link yelped, almost falling back as she materialized right in front of him, arms folded across her chest and eyes narrowed, fury damn near _tangible._

Rusl, Ashei, and Telma all cried out, startled.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"We have to explain." The venom in Sheik's voice was horrifying. It gave even Midna pause.

"_What_?" Link gaped, staring at them. What was Sheik _doing_?!

"…This is Midna, Twilight Princess. As you can see, she was cursed. I am the only Royal Knight who stayed loyal to her when the Usurper took control. Unfortunately, I cannot kill the man responsible for her…_condition_, or the destruction of Hyrule. Only your Hero can, as only he can wield the Master Sword. I do not trust any of you with this knowledge, and I will kill you, no matter how dear to Link you are, if you breathe a word of this to anyone."

It was the worst explanation Link had ever heard.

"I was fucking _sleeping,_ you bastard! Do you know how much magic I used getting _your_ asses here and doing _you_ a favor?!" Midna roared, her hair shooting at and slamming Sheik in the shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground. Sheik just laughed, though it wasn't exactly a _happy_ laugh.

Link reached out for a chair and dropped down into it, moaning.

"My head hurts. You're all insane. I'm not keeping any more secrets for you if you're just gonna blab it all first time someone asks." Did Sheik _seriously_ expect anyone to believe that?

"Of course you will. You're a good little mutt. Now, knight of mine, send me back or I'll rip _your_ heart out before I do the same to Zant." Midna said imperiously, hands on her hips as she turned to face Sheik. She was really turning up the fear factor for the others.

"You could try." Sheik murmured, a smile on his lips as he hopped to his feet. Sheik's magic dissipated, and Midna rolled her eyes as she dissolved into Link's shadow again. Link lifted his head to look at the others, fully expecting them to be staring at Sheik like he was insane.

"What was _that?!"_ Ashei demanded, clutching her sword tightly in both hands. Telma's expression was entirely blank, Rusl's one of absolute shock.

"Midna. She's kind of, uh, mean. But she means well, and being on the receiving end of her magic is not fun. So, yeah, if you tell anyone Sheik'll deal with you. I won't stop him."

Link felt something twist in his gut as he spoke. He didn't like threatening Rusl, or Telma, or Ashei. Rusl was practically his _father_, and Telma had been nothing but kind to him. And Ashei had never done anything to him, either.

But…he trusted Sheik now, enough to know that the boy wouldn't hurt them unless they'd done something unforgivable.

"…So you're helping this Midna restore Hyrule?" Telma asked.

"Not just Hyrule. Her realm's, ah, not doing so good either. She only agreed to help with Hyrule 'cause she likes Zelda. And me." Link added, straightening in his chair a little. Catching Sheik's gaze, he deflated.

"Where'd she go?" Ashei asked, voice harsh.

"His shadow." Sheik replied, tone just as unfriendly.

"Then where have _you_ been, yeah? Link was alone when we first met."

"When have I _ever_ been alone? Well, yeah, for, like, five minutes in that cell 'cause Midna's mean, but that was it." Link was ignored.

"When the Usurper struck, I was injured. Separated from Midna. By the time I got to Hyrule I could sense that his power was already too great to fight without the Master Sword, and I waited there. Midna isn't one to sit idle while her people suffer, and Link is not _Hyrule_'_s _Hero. The Twilight Realm has long told tales of the blue-eyed…_hero_ who would save them." Sheik's dour expression, when he glanced at Link, made him physically flinch. The wolfos thing again.

"You're just being even _more_ confusing." Link muttered. Where had Sheik even _heard_ that before? Had he been staying up talking with Midna? Was _that_ why he didn't sleep at night?

Link tried to ignore the pang that went through him at the thought.

"Midna can explain further, once she's rested. I'm not saying anything else. It's not my place. Now will you allow us to stay here or not?" Link let a flood of disapproval, warning, spill over into Sheik's mind.

"Then why did Auru attack you?"

"You think your people tell happy stories about a bunch of powerful shadow-dwellers? Look what _one_ of our number has done to your kingdom. You honestly think it hasn't happened before?" Midna's voice startled Link and he looked up quickly—and she rested her arm on his shoulder, cocking her head at those assembled before her.

"Of course, your people are just as corrupt. They're just not…ah, innately magical. So the disasters are usually minor, lucky you. My great grandmother tore the earth apart at home once, when she got pissed at her lover. So the Palace floats. As does most of the Realm, actually." She added, frowning.

"Her lover? She had—_ow!"_ Midna lowered her hand, Sheik's amusement infectious enough that Link couldn't bring himself to scowl at her.

"No, he was one of her royal harem. I was being _decent._"

"So do you have a harem, Twilight Princess?" Link asked, tone thick with mocking.

"Link, shut up. Midna, do not answer that. Your history is as corrupted as Zant is—any information Auru found is likely false. But he believed it." Sheik said sharply, interrupting. The last part, Link figured, was meant for Telma.

"If any of you threaten the safety of my boys again, directly or indirectly, or if that old bastard so much as thinks about trying something again—I will do worse than kill you. Understand?"

"Aw, Midna, you _do_ care." Link couldn't hide his grin as he pecked her on the cheek, even when she promptly sent him crashing to the floor, the chair he'd been sitting on little more than splinters.

"_Ew!_ You—_mutt!_ That's _it_. Never mind. You can kill them both."

"That's a little harsh." Sheik murmured. Midna shot him a look and dissolved again. There was a thump, and Link looked up sharply, scrambling to his feet. Rusl was sitting on a chair, head in his hands.

"You can stay. Same room as before, though. And you _will_ explain further. But you two look dead on your feet. Ashei can show you how to get to the bathhouse." Telma said bluntly—she didn't seem all that shocked by what had happened, in all honesty.

"You go. I've got some explaining to do." Link said, meeting Sheik's gaze readily. Sheik didn't move for a long moment, then slowly nodded and turned to Ashei, tilting his head to the door. Telma nodded sharply.

"I've got to go to the market. Leave your things with Link. He can take it downstairs when he's done." Her gaze was flinty, no trust in her voice, but Sheik didn't seem to take offense—he just slid the pack he was carrying off his shoulder, dropping it by Link's feet. Ashei glared at Telma, at Sheik, but let out a snarl of fury and stalked out the door.

Link watched everyone besides himself and Rusl leave before moving, dragging one of Telma's smaller, more manageable tables, over to Rusl and pulling up a chair.

He was quiet, then, staring anxiously at the man who'd raised him, hands clasped in his lap as Sheik's presence drifted away.

"Too much?" He finally asked quietly, and Rusl let out a short, dry laugh that sent a pang running through Link, because there was no amusement to it.

He'd never really sat and thought about how his journey had changed him. Before, it wouldn't have mattered what someone had done—he never would have threatened them, never would have been capable of taking their life.

Or condemning them to an eternity of torment.

For Rusl to see him now…

Link wondered if Rusl was proud of him. Of what he'd done. He'd saved most of Hyrule from Twilight, met not only Princess Zelda, but Midna…Done what was right. Found the kids, ensured their safety. Found Ilia, though she didn't remember anything.

He was wielding the _Master Sword_ now, for Farore's sake.

Did Rusl see that? Or did he see a boy who would kill now, who valued the company of an imp and a violent, blood-eyed boy over that of his peers?

And Link realized he didn't really care if Rusl disapproved, if Rusl would only see the bad and not the good, if he'd look at Link and see a monster. It would hurt, sure, but _he didn't care_. He wasn't doing this for Rusl. Or for Colin or Ilia or Malo or Telma or Ashei or Shad or the Resistance or Hyrule or Zelda or the Twilight Realm. He was doing this for Midna, for Sheik.

They, and they alone, were his concern.

"…When you disappeared with the children…?"

"There were these Moblins. They stormed the Spring. Knocked me unconscious, left me. Took Ilia and Colin. I woke up with them gone and I just...I didn't think. Followed their trail over the bridge to Faron, and there was this massive black wall with these runes on it. When I got close something grabbed me, dragged me through it. I passed out—it _hurt_. And I woke up in a cell, and after a little bit Midna showed up. She was a bitch, but she freed me and took me to Zelda. And she explained what had happened, mostly. I didn't like her at first—tried to kill her a couple times, actually—but…I don't know. She's like Sheik. It's kinda like they don't know how to be nice. And when they are it means you're going to die very shortly. But…well, she didn't ask for my help, but she told me the only way I'd find Ilia and the others was if I went with her, that she'd help me if I helped her. So I did." Link decided to stop trying to joke about it—his humor was falling flat, and only seemed to be upsetting Rusl more.

"…And you just trusted her? A creature locked in a _jail_?" Rusl's voice was strained, heavy with something Link couldn't identify. Link scowled at him.

"She offered to get the kids back. You get that? I had no idea where they'd gone, why they'd been taken, what was happening to them—but I knew it wasn't good. I didn't know where I was or what had happened or what was going on, and she did. My first priority was the kids. She needed somebody to boss around and die for her? Sure. As long as the kids were safe." Link wasn't explaining it right, he knew that, and he was growing angry—and Sheik's mind, exasperated, swamped him for a moment. A pause.

_…__you mutt…_

"I-" Link caught himself, reeling from Sheik's intrusion, barely realizing Sheik had spoken as Beth did before the word came tumbling from his lips, his hands hovering uncertainly by his temples, caught in the motion of clutching his head.

"And this Sheik?" Link felt a heaviness settle over him, as Rusl either didn't notice or ignored his outburst. Before this, Rusl wouldn't have missed it.

And what was he supposed to say about Sheik? Telling Rusl that Sheik only tolerated him because his people's safety was at stake wasn't true anymore. Saying that Sheik hated him, that Sheik was just teaching him, that Sheik was a stranger—he couldn't. Not telling people the full truth was one thing. Outright lying was another.

"What about him?"

"Link, these creat—people….you don't know them. Or anything about them. And—"

"You're doing this for Uli, and the baby, and Colin. If I told you right now they were going to die slowly, in fear, unable to realize that they were even cursed until something more evil than you could ever imagine rose up and devoured them alive, what would you do?" Rusl stared at him, face pale, haggard, shocked.

Horrified.

"That's what we're facing. That's what Midna needs my help with stopping. _That's_ why Sheik's here. Because they're doing it for their people and I'm doing this for them. I'd trust them with my life over _you_. That's how much faith I have in them. And I know none of us are answering your questions and we're just creating new ones, but I've seen what good people have turned into because of Zant and his evil, and the things Midna damn near _died_ finding. I've had to damn near _murder_ the Goron Patriarch, and I could barely stomach that. You ever see him? Those scars are because of _me._ He doesn't remember, but I _do_. He's damn near made of stone—_you're flesh and blood_. I don't want to have to kill you Rusl, if you dig too deeply and Zant sees fit to curse you too, but I will if I have to. If Telma, or Ashei, or Auru, or the _kids_…I can't…They're safer not knowing." He was rambling again, but it seemed to be the right thing to say—and it was the truth.

And Link watched as the realization crashed over Rusl. That Link wasn't _his_ Link anymore. The disappointment, sorrow. Pain.

Even if he understood _why._

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Sheik felt Link's heartache acutely, and he was ashamed to admit that he clutched at it desperately to distract himself from the crowds, the noise, the lack of space, the smell, the _people._ Ashei marched in exact center of the roadway, not slowing or stopping or even considering the fact that the paranoid dagger-happy boy behind her _might not like crowds_.

He hadn't minded her the first time they'd met, too much. She was hard and suspicious, but he'd thought they'd come to an understanding. The old man's mistake seemed to have changed that entirely.

The bathhouse turned out to be a large building located at the edge of town, near the river, entirely empty this late in the morning—everyone was working or running errands, Sheik assumed—besides a handful of attendants. They showed the two of them to an adjoining private bath, after Ashei tossed some rupees their way.

There was a thin wooden wall dividing the two rooms, each containing a pool of water fed through a system of pipes heated below the bathhouse.

Sheik detested the fact that he knew that, and he glowered at the wall as he undressed and dropped into the warm water. Link's mind was bleeding into his—and his was bleeding into Link's.

He'd never told Link of the Ninth. He may have mentioned it, but he'd said nothing of what it held and where it was, much less how to break through its weakening bindings. Yet Link had known, and he'd used that knowledge to send the Hero of Time to his doom.

That thought dispelled his bad mood. Sheik began unbraiding his hair, slowly relaxing as the water's heat soaked into his muscles.

"You're full of shit."

And the bad mood was back. Sheik glared at the thin wall separating him from Ashei, his hair falling around his shoulders as he reached for a blade—and he caught himself, and instead tightened his fingers around the lip of the pool.

"You honestly expect us to believe your little story?" Her voice wasn't muffled in the slightest. The wall must have been set up just to keep eyes from wandering.

"Believe what you want. What I said to you the last time we met is still the truth." He let himself create a slightly audible splash as he dove beneath the water, not wanting her to continue speaking if he couldn't hear her. It would escalate things beyond what they were—and the consequences of that would be…_bad._

He emerged at the other end of the pool, closer to the wall, and eyed it warily as he pushed his hair out of his eyes. It would collapse on top of him if she tackled it. Not that there wasn't a door, but the element of surprise was always an important factor in a fight.

"One wrong move, and I'll kill you, yeah?"

"Ambitious, for once such as yourself." Maybe not replying would have been the better option. He let out a soft sigh, sinking low into the water. He could still see the cloud of dust floating around where he'd first entered the pool, feel the grit on his skin. If they had to trek back through the desert the same way they'd done before, he would be furious. But if Midna grew _this_ exhausted transporting them that far _with_ the Fused Shadow's aide, they might have to.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Link's mind suddenly snapped, a tangle of anger and frustration and fright, and Sheik reached out instinctively.

Link's mind was something strange—as animalistic as it was Hylian. And while Link himself didn't worry about that—he simply _was_, whether that was wolfos or man—he wasn't able to explain it to another, not without telling them of his curse, his gift. And that was what was upsetting him. Bemused, Sheik let their connection drift away. Midna was right, in her nickname of him. Link _was_ a mutt.

"Unless the Goddesses granted you an incredible amount of luck, you wouldn't be able to so much as scratch me." He murmured, voice subdued, distracted.

Her anger was a near tangible thing then, but she didn't say anything else, and they bathed in silence. Sheik refused to get out of the water until all of the sand was gone, until he'd scrubbed himself raw. By then he could hear Ashei moving about on the other side of the wall, and he reluctantly pulled himself out of the pool and dried himself off.

To her credit, she waited until he had his pants on before throwing the door open. She had, he assumed, been intending to stalk up to him in a great show of terrible fury and threaten him. Instead she saw his scars, and the Eye on his chest, and froze, shocked.

"I won't threaten yours, if you don't threaten mine. Agreed?" She nodded mutely, and he began bundling his bandages and clothes. The clothes were bloodstained and torn and badly in need of repair—luckily for him, there had been a set of Hylian clothes laid out for him, and while the lack of bandages was unsettling, his leathers were relatively unscathed, and no sand clung to them. They fit oddly over the baggy pants he'd been given, but they'd do. Ashei wore a similar set, a bag hanging at her hip bulging—with, he assumed, the clothes she'd been wearing earlier. Her sword and sword belt still hung at her waist.

"Where'd you get those scars?" Her voice was subdued, quiet. Sheik's hands stilled, as much as he tried to keep himself from giving himself away.

"…You think Auru's the first to look at my eyes and try to kill me?" He didn't look at her as he finished gathering his things, tucking his blades into the center of the bundle—but making certain he could easily reach them if the need arose.

"Why'd you give Telma that shit about being a knight?"

"Because more lives than mine hang in the balance if I tell you the truth? Because a slightly plausible lie is better than nothing? If it puts her mind at ease, or the bastard's, who am I to deny them that?" Her gaze darkened again, as he looked up at her, tucking the bundle of cloth into his cape and drawing it close around his body, hiding all his scars but those on his face.

"You don't like Rusl either?"

"He looks like someone else." Sheik said shortly, tone curt. He pulled his hair back, behind his head, and tied it with a strip of bandage too small to be added to his bundle. He hadn't brushed it yet, and he knew he'd regret it later, but it could wait. He pulled his hood up, and gestured towards the door behind Ashei.

"Who?"

"It's—"

"Who?" She repeated, voice harsher, firmer.

"If you're going to go off the handle I should know why, yeah? I _will_ stop you from hurting any of them. Got it? And if it comes to me killing you, I at least want to know why. So who does Rusl look like?"

It was an easy thing to spit out at Link, even at Rusl. But the words clogged at the back of his throat, frozen.

Because what he'd seen wasn't true anymore, was it? Not if Malladus was truly alive, truly _safe._

And he understood her. He couldn't hate her for doing something he'd do, albeit very toned down.

"A murderer." He said simply, and pushed past her. He was relatively certain he could find his way back to the bar if she didn't follow.

But she did, and while she radiated hostility, it was nowhere near as harsh as it had been before.

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Sheik was sitting on his pile of blankets, braiding his hair. Link had asked earlier why he didn't just cut it, but he'd been glared at in return and seeing Sheik in such a generally good mood was a rare enough thing that he didn't want to push it any further than he already had.

Link himself was sprawled out on the bed on his stomach, watching Sheik drowsily, truly relaxing for what felt like the first time in _years_.

"…Hey, Sheik?" Sheik glanced up at him briefly, acknowledging his question.

"Do you think if I started swearing by Din more often that would make her happy?"

"…_What?!"_

"…Well, I was thinking, 'cause we all blame Din for the Fracturing and we don't swear by her and we're all scared and we chased out her people and, uh, you know…That's gotta piss her off, right? And then to top it all off we barely worship her anymore. So if I started swearing by her more often instead of by Farore or Nayru, that'd help, right? I mean, I know it isn't gonna do anything incredibly important, but it's _something_, right?" Sheik stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief, and then slowly shook his head, a soft sound of what _could_ have been amusement escaping him.

"You are an idiot, Link."

"But do you think it'd help? 'Cause I already started doing it."

"I don't know. Lanayru feels it each time her name is invoked, but I don't know about Din." Link let out a hum of consideration, rolling over onto his back, and let the conversation die away. He'd never liked sleeping on his stomach. After a while it started to ache, like everything inside him was squashed between his ribs and the mattress.

Was that the right body part? The ribs?

"…Hey, Sheik?"

"What?"

"Why do you call her Lanayru? Does the 'la' mean something?"

"It means 'the'. Nayru means 'mother'. The Sheikah title for her is 'the Mother'." While Sheik's words were repetitive, should have been tinged with annoyance, his voice wasn't. He finished with his hair and tossed it over one shoulder, standing up. Link propped himself up on his elbows, suddenly alert.

Rather than walk out the door, though, Sheik dropped down on top of him, straddling him.

Link hadn't realized just how tired Sheik was until then, Sheik's face only inches away from his. Mental exhaustion was one thing—but Link had been to wrapped up in his worry over that to remember Sheik had damn near _died_ only a few days ago, and that Sheik had _brought him back from the dead_.

"…You're in my head, Link." Sheik murmured, resting his forehead against Link's. Link let out a huff of air, blowing strands of Sheik's hair out of his eyes as he dropped back down, slowly, taking Sheik with him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, carefully tilting his head up to better look at Sheik.

"I never told you of the Ninth."

And cold enveloped Link, sharp and sudden. Sheik's eyes were hard, dark as blood.

"…But…"

"I mentioned it, its name, but I never told you what it held or where it was, or what those within it wanted. I never told you how to push past its wards so, especially without damaging it further as you and Midna did." Sheik paused, fingers digging painfully into Link's upper arms.

"Don't think that this is solely one-way, Hero. It'll never get so bad we can't tell each other apart, but I _will_ know what you know, and you I." Despite the tension in Sheik's voice, he wasn't really _angry_. Fearful, maybe, but Link couldn't tell. Cautiously, Link met Sheik's ruby orbs, not looking away.

"...Thank you, for what you did. I…Thank you. But if you tell anyone—even indirectly—anything—"

"I won't. Sheik, it'll...Nothing bad'll happen. We'll be alright." He wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say—or what he _could_ say to make Sheik feel better. Sheik had just—what? Implied they'd be in each other's heads deeper than they were stuck in their own? He slid an arm around Sheik's waist as the boy leaned into him fully, burying his face in Link's shoulder.

Link hated sleeping alone. Since he'd first come in contact with Twilight, since he'd first changed forms, it had become damn near intolerable. If worst came to worst and Midna refused to sleep with him, he'd curl up beside Epona for the night.

He knew Sheik didn't like being touched all that much, but since the desert, since he'd bound their souls together, that had mostly fallen away, at least when it was the two of them. And that meant the world to him.

"…So what are we doing?" It wasn't the first time Sheik had asked him, or that he'd asked Sheik for that matter, but Link couldn't, for the life of him, remember what had been said in response.

"Hanging out. Sleeping. Eating. I've still got that letter to give to Telma. If that has any leads, we'll check it out. Then after we head to Kakariko to find out what we can about wherever we go next. I'm pretty sure one's up in Snowpeak—it's this massive mountain range up near Zora's Domain, all covered in snow and ice. I don't know much else about it 'cause Midna doesn't let me explore, but I think Ashei's from up there. And if I remember correctly, I think Shad knows a lot about legends about the sky. Do you?"

"…Do I what?" His voice was muffled.

"Well, you know all sorts of stuff. You can't tell me you haven't heard any legends that could help." Sheik let out a disgusted sigh and rolled away from Link, so that he was pushed against the wall. Link inched closer to the edge of the bed—it wasn't that big, and as small as Sheik was, he wasn't _that_ small.

"You just want a story."

"Maybe."

"Unfortunately, I don't."

"Can you play something?"

"I'm not standing up. Go to sleep." Link was quiet for a moment.

"Sheik, when this is all over I want to bring you to Ordon." His voice was solemn, wistful.

"We have things to do afterwards." Sheik grunted, and whatever Link was going to say died on his tongue. He turned his head, eyes wide, and studied Sheik silently.

_We._

His eyes were closed, head tilted up towards the ceiling. His cowl was back on and his bangs were brushed off to the side, almost covering his slender ears. His face was unlined, brow smooth, tired but content. His mind was calm.

_We._

His eyes opened, crimson orbs bemused, and raised an eyebrow at him. Link struggled to find what he'd been going to say.

"…Ah, I just…I think you'd enjoy the woods. There's these ruins that are really pretty, all overgrown and stuff, if you go really deep in. And the Harvest Festival is always fun, but I don't think you'd enjoy it 'cause there's people and it's late and…I don't know. It's home." He was rambling, and what he wanted to say didn't come, but Sheik's smile was enough, even if it was brief.

"Maybe one day. When they're found and…" Sheik trailed off, eyes growing dark, and Link stayed quiet, letting him brood.

Sleep drifted closer to both of them. Link's eyes were all but shut when he heard Sheik speak again, voice soft and barely audible.

"…Thank you."

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Link knew he was being extremely conspicuous, continuously glancing at the ground, but he couldn't help it. He knew better than to reach out with his mind, not while Sheik was still uncomfortable with their bond—because if he did it once, he'd be doing it as often as he was looking at the floor, and that would infuriate the Sheikah. And Sheik needed the rest anyway—he was still sleeping.

Ashei was staring at him, whether annoyed or amused he wasn't certain. Telma, while a member of the Resistance, was also a business owner, and that meant she had to open the bar to the public. Which meant Rusl and Sheik were stuck downstairs until closing time, together, and he and Ashei were stuck upstairs, until closing time, together.

Link didn't mind Ashei's company or anything like that—he was just worried about Sheik.

_We._

Link buried his face in his arms to hide his sudden smile.

"…He said Rusl looks like a murderer. I know he said something to Rusl, but he won't tell me." Ashei's voice was tight, subdued, and it made Link look up at her, smile gone.

"Sheik?"

"Yeah."

_Oh._

"What do you know about it?"

"…It's not my place." Link said, stiffly.

"You don't want to know what I'll do if you don't." Ashei growled in return. She meant it, he knew.

He'd woken up early that morning and left Sheik asleep on the bed—they'd gone to sleep a day ago, and Link hadn't been able to tolerate his stomach's growling any longer. He'd gotten upstairs in time for Ashei to order him to get his weapons—he was to keep the customers under wraps, and stop any fights from breaking out. He'd left the Master Sword with Sheik—its hilt was too recognizable—and borrowed Rusl's sword. His bow was slung across his back too, and a quiver rested on his hip. His shield leaned against his leg at his feet, easily reached in case he needed to do so. He'd even left breakfast sitting out for Sheik before letting Telma lock the trapdoor.

"…I don't know. Could be anyone he's known." Ashei was quiet for a moment, staring at him before she fully processed his words.

"What do you mean?" Link sighed softly, leaning back in his chair, suddenly weary.

"Ashei, everyone he's ever known's dead, except for, like, three…no, two people. And he's watched them all die. Not like, they got sick or it was peaceful or something—I mean that they've been murdered or killed in front of him. My guess would be his dad, though…" Link trailed off.

If it had been Malladus Sheik had been talking about, then it had occurred near Ordon. It could have been one of Rusl's ancestors. The thought gave him chills.

She stared at him, shocked, frozen, wordless.

"…He's just exhausted right now. I mean, we both are, but it was so hard for him…So he hasn't killed Rusl. I don't think he could handle doing that just now. And by the time he gets to that point we'll be gone, so…" Link folded his arms on the table and dropped his head down onto them, closing his eyes. Silence reigned, until Link was almost asleep again.

"…I killed my father." Link went still, suddenly awake—that hadn't been Ashei, had it?

"He deserved it. The natives of Snowpeak, the Yeti…He'd hunt them like sport, yeah? Raised me to do the same. But he was an angry man, and he liked drinking. I refused to kill anything. One day, we were out in the mountains during one of his training exercises. I can't remember what I did—I might have tripped, or fallen, or not replied to something he said. He got angry. Broke my leg—and I picked up my sword and shoved it through his heart. Some Yeti found me, brought me back home. I lived with them until their elder died." Ashei tapped the cloth she wore over her shoulder, and Link blinked, focusing on it. White fur. She pulled its hood up, and he blinked in shock—it was a creature's head, eyes replaced with glass and mouth stitched up. He'd noticed it before, of course, but it had never really sunken in before—that it wasn't just cloth stitched up to look like a strange creature's head.

"He ordered me to do this, said that way he'd always protect me. Yeti hide is tough, yeah? Almost stronger than iron. He was more a father than my blood was. And I came down into Zora's Domain, and Auru found me. Brought me here, gave me a home, another family…" Ashei trailed off, shrugging.

"You shouldn't be telling me this." Link finally muttered, his discomfort entirely audible. Ashei's head snapped up, gaze focusing on him, and he shrugged, meeting her gaze readily.

"You should be telling Sheik."

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It was around noon when the Sheikah came out of Link's room, and Rusl's heart nearly stopped, because while the boy was as bound in bandages and armor as he had been earlier, he wore one of Link's old tunics over the dark blue leather. Were he and Link…?

No. Last he'd spoken to Link, the boy had been so concerned over Ilia…And they'd always been so close. Telma said he'd turned up with the Sheikah less than a month ago. It wasn't possible.

"We're stuck down here until closing time. Link's upstairs with Telma and Ashei." He said quietly, when the boy's ruby orbs focused on him. Sheik stared at him expressionlessly for a long moment, and Rusl's unease threatened to slip out of his control.

But the boy turned without a word and strode into the practice room, leaving him alone. Rusl waited where he was for a moment, one hand on his doorknob and the other grasping empty air at his hip—he shouldn't have lent Link his sword, Master Sword or no. Being unarmed near the Sheikah—

No. It wasn't him. It was fine.

He gave Sheik a few more minutes before following him.

The boy had pushed Auru's targets into the center of the room in a half-circle, clearly meant to block Rusl's view, and the rhythmic thud of metal against heavy sand filled the room.

"Need any help?" A flash of pale blonde hair popped up over the top of one of the shorter targets for half a second.

"No."

Rusl settled into a wooden chair—also situated so he couldn't possibly see Sheik without actively getting up to do so—slowly.

He was tempted to ask. He _needed_ to ask. But if he stirred up something, he wasn't sure he could live with the consequences.

_You've lived with them so far._

His fists clench.

"I—"

"No." Sheik was outside of his semi-circle, arms folded across his chest as he glared at Rusl, leaning against one of the targets in an instant.

"…You don't even—"

"You're going to ask what happened. I'm not going to tell you. It's none of your business."

"…No. I was going to tell you to start talking."

"About?" Dark amusement lit the boy's eyes, and something within Rusl clenched. How in Din's name could they have done this? The boy was—was still a _boy_, for Farore's sake! All the children, and the mothers, and the fathers, and the brothers and sisters and babies and _dear Nayru_ the _babies—_

"I might not be related to Link by blood, but he is my son. And, forgive me, but you aren't someone I want him traveling with. He's old enough to make his own choices now, though, and he has. That doesn't mean I'll let him without knowing anything about you."

Sheik rolled his eyes as he disappeared behind the targets.

"I am not going to kill him."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"What? You want to hear my life story too? I told you. I'm Midna's knight. I need Link alive. Afterwards I couldn't care less what he does." He drawled, bored.

"You're dragging him into situations that are far too dangerous for a boy—"

Sheik strode out of the targets, blade held tightly in his hand as he stalked towards Rusl. He stopped a foot away from him, bloody eyes flashing dangerously.

"He's not a child anymore. He chooses where it is he wants to go and who it is he wants to follow. He's had a hundred chances to turn back and he hasn't. You're not in charge of him. Deal with it. Stop blaming me for those choices when you disagree with them."

Anger rose within him, and Rusl found himself on his feet before he'd decided to stand.

"He holds the _Master Sword_. He was destined to be a Hero long before you were born. Nothing you could have done could have kept him from that blade short of murder. And you may want to protect him, to take him away from this and keep him safe, but you can't."

"Why _not?"_

"Because more than just his life is at stake! The entire country—the entire _realm—two_ entire realms rest on _his_ shoulders! _Countless_ lives will end if he does not succeed, and it is _my duty_ to ensure he does so!"

"And if he dies?!" Rusl snarled back. That seemed to shock the boy, take some of the anger from him.

"It will kill me." Sheik's hands clenched tightly at his sides as he spoke softly, the only sign of movement from him. Rusl stared for a moment, frozen. The boy didn't look like he cared so much as he seemed certain of the outcome—as if it were a fact, unavoidable, set in stone.

"I'm sick of explaining things to you. All of you. It's the same damn conversation every time we come here." He hissed, and strode off—not back to the targets, but back to his room.

And Rusl honestly didn't know what to do—what to _say._

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"It was a long time ago."

Rusl didn't respond, visibly or verbally, and Sheik didn't look for a response. He kept hacking away at the target in front of him for no other reason than he _could_—the training benefit they gave was nothing.

In all his life, he had never trained with inanimate targets. Veran and Malladus had been very involved, and Skull Kid's constructs had been excellent as goals. Having sacks of straw and sand to stab at was child's play, and he was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor across the training room from Rusl, slowly but surely destroying the target in his lap.

"My father saved my life as somebody plunged a sword through his throat. You look like him—not my father, but…" He trailed off, shrugging. Link's mind touched his and he irritably swatted at it, sensing a soft burst of pain from the Hylian as the Hylian withdrew.

So he _could_ hurt him through their minds? _He'd remember that_…

"I don't like you. Never will. Nothing you can do about that. But if you stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours."

Rusl's eyes were grave and dark as they watched him. Sheik stood, letting out a soft sigh, and Link's mind suddenly flared brightly. He winced, staggering, and the creaking noise of the trap door opening drifted down to them.

"Sheik?" Link scrambled into the room, limbs flying as he tripped. He caught himself before he fell, before he hit Sheik—luckily for him.

"You remember that letter Renado gave me to give Telma? Well, she's got a lead that could help Ilia and can we go tomorrow and check it out?" Link spit out the words in a rush, damn near bouncing in place with excitement.

Sheik couldn't handle staying in the cellar any longer. He pushed Link's shoulder, spinning him around.

"Walk."

"Now? We're going now?"

"_Walk."_

"_Yes_! I gotta get my sword! Rusl, I'm gonna put your sword in our room!"

"Where are you-?" Rusl began, half-standing.

"We'll be back, we're not leaving!" Link shouted over his shoulder, though he didn't turn around, to Sheik's relief.

They had something to _do, _thank Lanayru. Rest was fine and all, but Sheik wasn't comfortable here and having nothing to do made that worse.

"This guy we're going to talk to? Racist. He refused to treat Ralis 'cause he was Zora." Link added hesitantly, as they entered their room.

"…I won't enter. I might kill him if I do." Sheik sighed, scowling at the Hero. Link nodded his head quickly, scrambling through their things to find his sword and whatever else it was he was looking for. Sheik pulled his cloak out, and a few extra weapons.

"It shouldn't take too much time."

"It had better not."

"…Thanks. I…uh, I know you don't know Ilia all that well. It…It means a lot that you're gonna do this for me." Link sounded awkward and irritation shot through Sheik, but he knew Link was trying to help.

"Shad is in Kakariko. We'd have to return there anyway." Link flashed him a grin, his amusement clear.

"You ready?"

Sheik glanced around the room, mentally running through a list of what he'd need. He scooped Beth's lantern up, along with the second lantern he had found in the Halls—Joelle.

Beth crowed with joy, startling Sheik. He lost his balance, crashing into Link as he laughed.

_Two more!_

Link slipped his arm around Sheik immediately, tugging him closer. Any question he'd been about to ask died on his tongue, and he pushed away from the Hylian, scowling.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine. Come, Hero. It's your friend, after all."

Link grinned at him, and Sheik cocked his head towards the door. Link moved the Master Sword's sheath around on his back, adjusting the scraps, and ducked his head in a quick nod.

"Ready?" Sheik nodded in response, and Link headed on out.

Rusl's eyes tracked him on the way out, cold and hard.

Sheik wondered how long it would be before the man tried to kill him.

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"Mister Shadow, are you friends with Mister Wolf?" Sheik blinked, and stared at the girl sitting beside him.

Friends?

"No."

Halfway across the field, Link's ears picked up and the silver wolfos let out a whine, as if wounded. Taking advantage of his distraction, the stalhound he'd been playing with for the past hour tackled him to the ground.

It had taken a matter of ten minutes to find the doctor, discover he'd lost an item of importance of Ilia's after spilling a medicine so foul even Sheik could smell it over the object, and to get Link to transform and follow the smell. The trail had led to a small field boxed in between the canyons and cliffs that made up so much of Hyrule Field, with only a single trail leading out of the town and a single entrance into Castle Town, if one didn't count the passages snaking down into Lake Hylia.

The little girl frowned at him, and her legs stopped kicking so frantically for half an instant.

"I don't believe you." He watched her out of the corner of his eye, cocking his head.

"No?" She shook her head frantically, and giggled.

"Do you like the Twilight, Mister Shadow?" Sheik's attention had been drifting, but his attention snapped to the child immediately.

"What?"

"Don't look so worried! Twilight's not so bad. And my friend is going to stop the baddies in no time!" She smiled at him, eyes closed as she beamed. Sheik studied her critically.

Agitha, she'd said her name was. She had been trying to catch a bug of some sort when he and Link had burst out into the field, and after determining Link was just going to play with the stalhound, Sheik had retreated to the steps leading up to Castle Town, where she was. He'd eventually caught the bug for her and she hadn't left his side since. She'd dubbed him 'Mister Shadow' and they'd chatted, though the conversations were mostly one-sided.

"Your friend?"

"She's super strong! And brave! But you might think she's mean. Don't worry, though, 'cause she's really very nice!" Sheik raised an eyebrow.

"What's her name?"

And an intelligence far beyond that of a mere child regarded him through the girl's eyes, a smile on her lips.

"You remind me of someone I used to know, Mister Shadow." His eyes narrowed. She wasn't very good at changing the subject—but, he supposed that wasn't the point.

"Well, it's almost tea time! Take care of Mister Wolf and my friend, Mister Shadow!" She declared, scrambling up and dusting herself off. Her movement was so sudden it surprised him, and he stared at her, blankly.

"You know, Mister Shadow, I always liked red eyes."

He froze, shock racing through him like electricity. His head snapped around as he struggled to push himself up—

—but she was already gone.

He stood there, unable to move as he stared at the spot she'd just been in. Who in Lanayru's name _was_ she? And had she known other Sheikah? And her comment—did she know Midna? Where had she -gone?!

Something slammed into him, and arms wrapped around him as somebody—_Link_—buried their face in his shoulder.

"Thank Far—uh, Din. Thought I'd have to wait _forever_." There was a long pause as they stood like that before it registered in Sheik's mind, and he pulled away, gaze never moving from the spot Agitha had vacated.

"So yeah, there's a totem. I suppose we could go to Ilia and see if it brings back any memories, but—"

"Change forms. Can you pick up any scent on it?" Sheik said abruptly, dragging his focus back to Link. Immediate problems first, especially when Link was threatening to take _another _detour in their quest. He could deal with the child later.

"Tried. It's there, but it's nothing I can track." Sheik frowned at him.

"If I were to amplify your senses?"

"What?" Link asked, expression absolutely blank. A smile twitched into existence for half a second, beneath Sheik's cowl, and he folded his arms across his chest.

"Midna?"

"It'd take an incredible amount of magic, Sheik." She warned, appearing at Link's shoulder. She leaned on the Hylian, frowning at Sheik.

"That I can handle." He murmured, flexing his fingers.

"You sure? The desert…" Link began, uncertainly.

"I am not going back to Kakariko and then returning here."

"We gotta go to Kakariko anyway 'cause Shad's there, though!"

"We have no need to return _here_ afterwards. We're getting this done and over with." He said, shaking his head resolutely.

"Should we go get our stuff?" Link ventured, shifting uncertainly.

"Got it already. You boys ready?" Midna asked, grinning widely when Link turned to glare at her.

"I demand a vote." Smiling cheekily, Midna raised an arm. Link spun around to face Sheik, expression pleading. Sheik knew Link could sense his mirth, and smirked.

"You're outvoted, Hero."

"I hate you both."

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**Fun fact. This is the only chapter in this entire story in which the word 'pants' shows up. And it shows up twice.**

**HA. I FINISHED THE CHAPTER. FINALLY.**

**I apologize for the Hyrule Warriors teaser. I couldn't help myself.**

**So, the bit with the Hero of Time. Yup. Don't worry. It' ain't the last of him. Or, maybe, hearing ****_has _****made you worry…**

**This chapter is a MILESTONE. 'Cause if you thought the whole story has been mind boggling in its plot twists, the next chapter's putting everything to shame. :D Might take a while to come out, though. (Lol, might. Try 'definitely will'.) 'Cause I'm not touching this story in April, because I have an original fiction story I'm writing for Camp NaNoWriMo. That means How to Live is also taking a backburner, too. I'm not playing favorites. Sorry~!**


	17. Shadow Threatening

**_XVII: Shadow Threatening_**

**I have a minor announcement to make. If any of you do/know someone who has The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword footage—By this I mean the entire game, not just cutscenes—and you'd be willing to let myself and a bunch of friends use said footage in an Abridged, please PM me! Or email bandgeeksandguest AT ! Please!****We've got the first episode entirely done ****_except for footage_****! You'd be fully credited/linked in the video credits and description ('Cause it'll be posted on youtube) and our channel! PLEASE. I BEG OF YOU. I've been looking for someone since January, and nobody I've approached about it before has even ****_responded. _****I'll even dedicate the next chapter to you or something, we're that desperate. ****_Please!_****Being a Band Geek is NOT required!**

**Thank you for your time. And, now to the story you've all been waiting for…**

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A flash of silver spun end-over-end towards Link's head and he ducked, arms burning as he dragged the Master Sword up in time to block a second attack. Sheik's mind twitched, and without thinking Link jerked his body backwards—and a _third_ blade swished through the air his stomach had just occupied as the second screeched along his sword's length.

Sheik was all fury, all violence. They'd begun fighting while it was still light out, and now it was dark—and Sheik hadn't let up one bit in all that time. With his Beast still mostly in control, Link was glad of the challenge. It distracted him.

Anytime he let his thoughts wander, anxiety damn near crippled him. He'd already pissed Sheik off by sticking too close to him while they were setting up camp, and he didn't want to make him angrier. Not when everything was still so new and fragile, not when he could drive him away at the slightest provocation.

But he didn't stop—not doing so left him an anxious mess. He was too worried about Sheik, and that concern skyrocketed every time Sheik left his line of sight.

Link was exhausted, and he angled the Master Sword between Sheik and himself again—and found a blade pressed neatly against the back of his throat, Sheik straddling him as they tumbled to the ground.

"Slow."

"Fast." Link shot back.

"Dead." Sheik said flatly, pushing the blade a touch harder against Link's skin before putting it away.

Sheik didn't get off of him. Rather, he regarded him silently, eyes hard, narrow.

"I am going to say this once, and _only_ once. If you come at me again in your other form, I will make you wish I was merciful enough to kill you."

"That's not fair!" Link protested immediately. It had been an _accident_. He'd forgotten that Sheik was scared of wolfos and he'd found a—ah, Din, he couldn't remember, maybe a rock or something—that he'd wanted to show Sheik, so he'd come bounding up to the Sheikah and come close to being filled with metal for his trouble. Sheik had ordered him on ahead, with Midna, and trailed the two of them farther behind.

His mind had almost hurt, the anger and stress had been so much, and Link had apologized repeatedly until Sheik had attacked him—thereby initiating their impromptu training session.

"Say that again when you're staring down at your guts, Hero, and I might believe you." Sheik said flatly, and stood.

He was so _hostile_ all of a sudden—Link reached out, sitting up, and grabbed his wrist before Sheik could walk away. Sheik stiffened immediately, body rigid.

"Let go."

"What's wrong?"

"If you don't let go of me—"

"You're angrier and being meaner than usual. What's wrong?"

"It's none of your business."

"No, it _is_ my business." Link said sharply, pushing himself up and tugging Sheik around to face him, determined.

"We're not—We're not strangers anymore, Sheik. You can't…This isn't going to be something you can lock up and hide or something. This is going to affect more than just you. And I can't sit here and—"

"No! I don't—I don't want you in my head! I don't want you in my _mind_, I don't want you feeling what I am! I don't want to feel you or sense you or—" Sheik tore away from him. His mind was shifting rapidly, uncomfortably—but he wasn't saying what it was he meant, and he was upset, and Link didn't like that at all.

He caught hold of Sheik again, and drew him close, burying his head against Sheik's shoulder as he hugged him far more tightly than he ever had before.

Link didn't speak, didn't say anything. Sheik was stiff, for a moment, and then he just sort of relaxed, sagged against Link with all his weight.

A shaky sort of relief flooded him, and Link drew Sheik closer.

This, he realized, was what he wanted. Not the physical closeness—but he certainly wasn't complaining about that—but feeling Sheik _relax_.

"You terrify me, Link." He murmured, shifting his head slightly. Link froze, Sheik's hair tickling the side of his face.

"…Why?"

"Trusting you is a mistake. Binding myself to you was a mistake." The fear was immediate.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Sheik—"

"You're a Hero, Link. You bear Courage, and you wield the Master Sword." It was said quietly, almost tiredly. Sheik moved as if to pull away, and Link tightened his grip, jaw clenching.

He understood, now. It wasn't that Sheik hated him, or that Sheik was violently opposed to what had happened.

He was just…scared. Didn't really believe Link could do that to him, but his people probably hadn't believed it the first time either.

"Did he use it to kill your people? The Master Sword?"

"…No. Only the Hero can wield the Master Sword, but his heart must be untainted."

"So he didn't. Not when he…did what he did. I'm not..." Link let go of Sheik, taking a half-step back. Sheik watched, eyes dark and silent, as Link picked up the Master Sword and rammed it in the earth between the two of them.

He put a little more force than he'd intended behind the blow, though, and it sank low enough to be awkward to grab. Link had to consciously restrain himself from yanking it back out, though Sheik's lips twitched in amusement when he cringed.

Maybe he'd have Sheik play that song again later, to apologize.

"Look, then keep an eye on the sword. Maybe Majora'll let us renegotiate or something to keep it with us or maybe there's something else that could tell, and you can kill me or whatever if it rejects me." He rambled, raking a hand through his hair as he looked at Sheik. Sheik was silent, unmoving.

Eventually he folded his arms across his chest, eyes darkening.

"Why do you do that so readily? As if it's nothing?"

"Do what?"

"Offer your life."

Link blinked, surprised. Sheik's gaze was as dark as it had been a second ago, though, and his mind was entirely serious. A soft sigh escaped him, and he shrugged.

Sheik might have been over thinking things, he decided.

"I just…I want you to relax. Be comfortable. Feel safe. And if that means you need reassurance like that, then sure. I don't care. I mean, I don't wanna die, but…It's...I'm not going to do anything that'd hurt you, Sheik, and…I know there'll be no need to do any of this, and it helps you, so it's fine." Link shrugged, and he drew out the Master Sword, wiping the blade on his tunic before sheathing it. Carefully. _Very_ carefully.

His attempt at an explanation only seemed to anger Sheik further, and the Sheikah turned and stalked towards camp without another word.

"Sheik—!" The ruby-eyed boy evaded his outstretched hand without so much as looking back, and Link felt his annoyance clearly, a rush of sharp anger in his mind before Sheik shut him out.

_Totally_.

Panic, terror beyond rationality, overwhelmed him for an instant. The sudden _lack_ of warmth, of presence, in his head, being _alone—_

It blotted everything else out.

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Everything returned slowly. Sheik's warmth, at first, soothing his fear and panic. And when his mind had readjusted, sensation.

He was trembling, he realized, and Sheik's fingers were running through his hair slowly. He was halfway sprawled across Sheik's lap, his head on Sheik's torso. Sheik wasn't pushing him away.

"You're more trouble than you're worth, Hero." His mind was open again, bristling with annoyance, and Link had never felt anything more comfortable than that, never known anything that brought him more relief than that. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a heat growing at the back of his eyelids.

His mouth opened, as if to say something, but Link couldn't even formulate a clear thought, never mind a sentence.

"It's because he's a mutt. He's like a kid. Be glad you can't stand his other form, because he knows how to beg when he's in it."

Midna.

He opened his eyes, saw her watching the two of them guardedly from across a fire. Beth was fluttering around, looking annoyed at all three of them, and every so often Midna would turn and flap a hand irritably at the Poe.

A sudden morbid sense of amusement rose up in Sheik's mind.

"You are needy, and annoying, and need to learn to stop touching me, but I'm sorry I cut you out so suddenly. That's not to say I won't do it again, but I'll do it slowly next time." Sheik murmured, not commenting on whatever had amused him so.

Link huffed. He knew full well that Sheik was serious, but there was a real apology hanging in the back of his mind.

"Can't." His voice cracked, like he hadn't spoken in a very long time.

"Can't what?"

"Don—don't do that again, Sheik. I can't—" He couldn't finish, couldn't put what he wanted to say into words. Link pushed himself up though, eyes beseeching.

He couldn't see Sheik's scowl—his cowl was up—but he could _feel_ it.

"Then don't make me do it again. Behave."

"'Kay." Link collapsed back against Sheik, sending the smaller boy crashing to the ground with a yelp.

"Get off of me." Sheik snapped, tersely. Link shook his head flatly, refusing to budge. Sheik began to squirm.

"Can't sleep without you."

"Yes you can."

"Not since the desert." That made Sheik still, and Link readjusted his grip on the smaller boy, glancing up at him as he did so.

Sheik was shooting Midna an accusatory glance. She scowled.

"Not my fault. He was a wolfos long before Zant cursed him. Soon as he came in contact with Twilit, you twat."

"Which I am blaming on you, imp."

The sudden name-calling startled a laugh out of Link.

"Blood-Eye."

"Filthy shadow." Link frowned, seeing where the two of them were headed, and pushed himself up a little bit.

"Can you _stop_? You'll only get mad at each other and—"

"Mutt." It was said in unison, and Link yelped as Sheik pushed him back, getting to his feet.

"No—Sheik—!" Link yelped, scrambling up.

"Not my problem, Hero." Link could feel the grin in his words, and that somehow dispelled any scowl or frown he wanted to have sent to after Sheik's back.

Because he could feel it.

That Sheik was _happy_.

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Sheik tried as hard as he could to hide his alarm when Link stumbled, sagged against the stone around them, and crumpled.

Sheik's heart froze, blood ice, and he found that he couldn't move.

He hadn't known fear like this, so strong it was paralyzing and so intense he couldn't breathe, in a long while. Not since the desert, not since Veran's death.

The thought that Link was dying occurred to him, and his heart _stopped._

And then Link dragged himself up, coughing, and Sheik went still, unsure of what he was supposed to do. His fear had propelled him to Link's side, but Link was standing now—and _alive_, thank Lanayru.

"Are you…alright?" Sheik asked, hesitantly.

Link turned suddenly, and before Sheik could register what he was doing, he enveloped Sheik in one of his tight hugs.

Bone-crushing, really, but he could feel Link's smile against his shoulder and that made him care far less than he should.

"I've never had to transform so many times so quickly before. It's nothing serious." If Link's words hadn't been slurred—even if it was only slightly—Sheik might have believed him.

"You're not changing anymore."

Link didn't even protest, and that made Sheik realize just how badly he needed to rest.

"How are we going to keeping going, if he can't track the scent?" Midna demanded. Link pushed away from Sheik, holding him at arms length. Pain flickered in his eyes, discomfort in his mind—the thought of changing alone was painful to him.

But Midna was right, and Link knew it.

"Follow the general direction. These canyons can't split off too many times." Sheik said sharply, feeling Link hesitantly reach out for his other form. Link froze, and Sheik forced the magic down, away from him.

"You _obviously_ haven't been here before. But, sure, fine, we'll do it your way." Midna sighed dramatically, flourishing a hand as she disappeared.

"She's right. There's a bunch of tunnels…" The protest was half-hearted, and Link slumped back against the stone behind him, letting go of Sheik as he trailed off.

"Do you know how to solve a maze, Link?" Sheik sighed.

He received a blank look.

"You place a hand on one wall—" As he spoke, Sheik lifted a hand and placed it on the wall Link was standing beside.

"—and follow that wall. Eventually you'll reach the end." Link was silent for a moment, watching him, then scowled.

"That's dumb. What about if it's a dead end?"

Sheik couldn't suppress his smile, but he did his best to ignore it. He dropped his hand from the wall and gestured for Link to lead on, shaking his head. Link's mind chaffed at Sheik's amusement, but he obeyed.

Their path branched off sooner than Sheik would have liked, but Link knew which way to go—Ilia's scent, he said, had been tinged with something vaguely reminiscent of Sheik's, and he could almost taste it in the air on the path to their left.

Sheik pulled violently at the shadow magic twining around Link's thoughts, forcing it back down, and Link let out a mewl of pain as he collapsed again.

That time it didn't scare Sheik anywhere near as badly as it had the first time—he knew the reason now, and how to combat it.

"I hate you sometimes." Link grumbled, but he sagged against Sheik as they set out again.

"Likewise. I haven't been training you hard enough, Hero." Sheik added, shifting his way awkwardly around a boulder.

"What makes you say that?"

"_This."_ He accentuated his point by stabbing a finger into Link's side.

Link was not, as he was insinuating, fat. He was bulkier than Sheik, but it was damn near _impossible_ to be thinner. And he had muscle—but it was built out of desperation, out of random spurts of intense exercise and talent, not skill. It had changed lately, but it still wasn't as great as it should have been.

"Midna! He's being mean!" Link tried to flail away, and then yelped when his legs started to give.

He took Sheik down with him in revenge.

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"This is it, but…it's a dead end."

Sheik's first instinct was to call Link an idiot, but Link was staring so intently at the opening in front of him that he realized Link actually thought the pathway was blocked. He cast out a thread of magic, frowning, and felt ancient Sheikah power prickle along his nerves.

He realized where they were in an instant.

"Kakariko..."

The pathway before them was a tunnel, leading deeper into the cliffs that rose high above them on either side. It was not what he'd been told Kakariko looked like, but so many centuries had passed he wasn't surprised by it.

"Wha—Kakariko? Like, the old one? Where?"

"…Do you remember asking me about what to do if we reached a dead end?"

"…Yeah…?"

"Close your eyes." Link eyed him steadily for a heartbeat before obeying him, but he did so without complaint. They'd traveled slowly, giving him time to recover as best he could, and Link wasn't in any immediate danger anymore. He was still exhausted and Sheik hoped that they wouldn't come across any serious fighting desperately, but he was in far better shape now than he had been earlier.

Sheik positioned himself in the center of the pathway, facing Link. He had no idea what it was Link was seeing—though he assumed it was rock—but it would affect Link profoundly, if Sheik were to make him just walk through it. Given his already fragile state of mind, Sheik was willing to risk it.

He reached out and caught Link's hand, tugging the Hylian's gauntlet off.

"Follow me. Don't open your eyes. And for Lanayru's sake don't pass out."

"I can't promise anything." Link said it gravely despite the smile twitching across his lips, and Sheik started slowly walking backwards, leading Link after him.

Link did admirably—he didn't flinch or stumble or so much as twitch his eyelids—until they got closer to the mouth of the pathway. Then something of the wolfos must have risen up, sensing the magic woven so thickly near them, and he started to panic.

He started to squirm, to tug at Sheik's grip and to dig his heels into the ground.

"Sheik—no, there's—"

"Calm down." Sheik said flatly, continuing to move him forward.

"No! There's a _rock—"_ Link's panic peaked, and he jerked his head back.

It happened very suddenly, after that.

Sheik felt a faint pressure behind his eyes, and he blinked, letting go of Link's hand. The feeling grew stronger, and he blinked again—and suddenly, he had the odd sensation that he was staring out of two sets of eyes at the same time.

_Link._

The slap shocked both of them. The sting of it echoed in Link's mind, sharp as it bled into Sheik's.

The strange feeling of double-vision vanished, and Link's own eyes opened. Sheik stared at him, face set in iron.

"_Don't_." His voice was far harsher than he'd intended it to be, but it couldn't disguise how shaken he was.

"I…" Link looked scared, as he looked up at him, eyes round and wide with fear.

"I don't…I don't know what I did. I swear I didn't mean to—"

"Link." Midna's voice startled Link and he spun around. Sheik kept his fists, clenched tight to his sides, out of sight. His heart was still beating painfully, his fingers itching for a blade, and it was hard to keep himself from shaking.

"You do whatever Sheik says, alright? He says close your eyes, you do it. You don't poke him, you don't touch him, you don't say no."

"I—"

"I know. He knows. You just scared him shitless. Give him some space."

"Midna—"

"Go, Link." Relief was hot and thick, and Sheik kept his gaze fixed firmly away from Link as he spoke without his voice wavering.

It was overwhelming him again. His own idiocy, at trusting a Hero, at binding his soul to him, at letting him get so close. And while it should have horrified him that this time he wasn't withdrawing so quickly from Link, it was a relief to just sort of _accept_ it.

A hand touched his face, sharply jerking his chin up. He blinked, focusing immediately, and found Midna floating in front of him. Link was slumped on the ground a ways off, head on his knees and arms clutched tight around them.

"He works better if you order him around. He's a mutt for a reason."

"I can't…"

"Sit him down tonight and make a list. And he's got the attention span of a gnat, so you have to motivate him. Tell him you won't sleep with him if he doesn't listen."

"Why would he listen to me, Midna?" It came out far softer than he'd wanted it too, and he cringed as Midna regarded him. Her eyes were sharp, weighted with something he could not name, almost green they were so blue.

"The first and only time he ever outright disobeyed me was when we first saw you, Sheik. I told him to stay put and instead he tore after you like Zant was on his heels." She paused for a moment, suddenly hesitating.

"…I'm not gonna be around forever, Sheik, and Zelda might want to help you but you're not going to stick around Hyrule, and Link's going to go with you. You need to learn how to handle him now, while you've got backup. We don't think it'll be that much of a problem, but we can never tell with you boys. Just…he's not _normal_. He's a _mutt_. I don't just call him that because he annoys me. Remember that." She said firmly, blinking away the blue in her eyes as she turned and dissolved into Link's shadow.

Talking with Midna had calmed his nerves, if only by a little.

He forced himself to breath slowly, deeply, and then strode towards Link.

"I'm sorry." Link's voice stopped Sheik dead. It sounded so sad, so _broken_—

"Next time I tell you not to do something, don't do it." Sheik said curtly, dropping down beside him.

"I just—I could feel it and it was uncomfortable and it was _wrong."_

"Sheikah magic?" He asked sharply, glancing at Link. The Hylian's head was still buried in his arms, but he shook his head without lifting it.

"No, that feels like you. There was something else and…I'm sorry, Sheik, I don't know what happened. I didn't—" He lifted his head, finally, and his eyes were large and watery as they met Sheik's.

Sheik pushed his head back down immediately. Link's wounded look made him uncomfortable, and he was in no mood to deal with it.

"I don't care why. I don't care how. If you ever do that again I _will_ retaliate with more than a slap." Link leaned into him as he spoke, resting his head on Sheik's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't care."

"I know." His voice was small, quiet, and Sheik let out a disgusted sigh as he shifted his arm free from where it was squished between his body and Link's, raking his fingers through Link's hair. The Hero relaxed immediately, though he nestled even closer as a result.

Sheik would have pushed him away, but he could feel how intense Link's relief was, and he was hesitant to do anything that would upset him.

"We'll rest for a few minutes, but I expect you to listen to me for now on."

"'Kay." Link huffed out, closing his eyes.

_Oh shit—_

He was already asleep.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sheik watched Link like a hawk, though he gave no outward sign of it, as Link rid Kakariko of its moblin infestation. After his nap and a successful attempt at entering the secret tunnel, Link had assured him he'd be able to handle sneaking around the rotting husk of a town with little difficulty. Both Sheik and Midna had told him no, and he'd promptly run ahead. By the time Sheik had caught up to him, he was in the thick of the moblin camp and any attempt to get him out would have alerted the monsters to his presence—so both he and Midna had been forced to sit on the sidelines, watching warily as Link tried to sneak around.

Sheik was furious, but Link was back to his usual self and he was only throwing amusement back at Sheik's anger.

Kakariko was, to Sheik's surprise, still standing. He assumed it was because the Ninth was such a large distortion, and Kakariko was its entrance—he'd prayed to Lanayru for protection from it, and her magic hummed pleasantly against his core.

The buildings were mostly intact. They swayed and creaked ominously beneath the weight of Link and his prey, and there were piles of rubble everywhere, but they stood. The wood had been bleached and dried by time—the canyons were dry and arid, almost as much as the Gerudo Desert—and they had not rotted away. Kakariko had found itself neatly closed in on all sides by the canyons, sheltered amidst rock and stone and Sheikah power from the rest of Hyrule. Shattered windmills lay crumpled at the far end of the valley, if one could call it that, and Sheik found his gaze drifting across the town intently, when he wasn't glaring at the Hero.

He didn't remember Kakariko, but coming back to the place he _knew_ he'd grown up felt like it should mean more than it did. He kept waiting for something to spark a memory he had forgotten, or to recognize something—_anything_—but nothing did.

There was very obvious magic lying across the entirety of the ruins, though. Sheikah, and something else he couldn't quite put a finger on—but it wasn't uncomfortable, and it wasn't Zant's poison or Hylian magic, so he wasn't altogether worried. About the magic, anyway. Ilia's story—her being _here_…it didn't add up.

Link finally dispatched the last of the moblins and bounded over to him, looking pleased with himself.

"How did she get past all of them?" Sheik asked abruptly, as Link opened his mouth to speak. Link stared at him, shocked, then sudden understanding. The exuberance drained away visibly.

"Maybe they weren't here yet? Maybe she was safe here and made a run for it before they really set up camp?"

"How long ago did she go missing?" Sheik asked, shaking his head. Link frowned.

"A year ago. And then…maybe a month later I found the kids in Kakariko…so…I found her when she was stuck in Twilight, but…that was a couple months. Telma said that she had Ilia for a couple weeks, so…"

"You have no idea."

"No longer than nine months for sure." Link said carefully, gaze never moving from Sheik's.

"…There's a house over there that isn't all empty and broken down. It's boarded up and there's a door and stuff. I'll take Midna and go check it out, 'kay? You wanna scout out here for a bit?"

He nodded slowly, recognizing immediately that Link was trying to appease his suspicion. He could feel the irritation in Link's mind, at him questioning a girl who was undoubtedly a very close friend, but it wasn't as intense as it would have been—or could have been—earlier.

Link flashed him a grin, only marginally forced, and jogged off, Midna trailing him as she retreated into his shadow.

Sheik was torn between wanting to follow him—he knew full well that Kakariko was very dangerous, and the entrance to the Ninth was _very_ close—and making sure there weren't any other threats.

But Link was the Hero—he had made it this far. He could handle himself. And he had Midna with him.

_He'll be fine._

The sound of Beth's voice made him relax, and Sheik forced himself to start moving.

Beth was still very tenuous in her connection to him. He couldn't feel any sort of strain, but she stuck to her claim that letting Sheik feel both Link's mind and hers together would crush his sanity, and Sheik was inclined to believe her. He had far too little experience with anything related to the mind.

His 'scouting' only left him more anxious, though. There were no other exits or entrances in Kakariko besides the tunnel they had entered in—heavily protected by Sheikah magic. That magic made the tunnel seem like solid rock—an illusion so real that one could _touch it, _or at least _think_ they were. How in Hyrule had the moblins gotten in, then? The spell had been a charmed to repel living monsters, even. It shouldn't have been possible.

The Ninth was also a concern. Whatever was weakening its magic would have entered it through Kakariko—and Sheik couldn't check the bindings because that would drive everything within the Ninth into a fit, especially if he did not come down into it. And that would alert whatever was siphoning power from the dead as well.

He needed to find Link.

Sheik set out for the building Link had entered, unease settling thickly across him.

The door was unlocked and Sheik opened it soundlessly, mouth open to speak as he entered—and froze.

Link was standing uncomfortably before the stooped figure of an elderly woman, but he was far enough off to the side that Sheik had a clear view of her.

"—Bad. I put so much work into you, Hero. I—" Her voice was old, bearing the weight of five centuries and the blood of thousands, but it still hitched when she saw him.

She was whip-thin and her skin was mapped with the days she had seen, her silver hair was fine and cut short, ruby eyes a touch misted and hands gnarled. But he still knew who she was.

And that spark he had been waiting for ignited, because he didn't just _know_, he _remembered_.

She had been so very large, when he'd been young. Always stern, always so full of presence that he had known whether she was in a room or not without even entering. She had carried herself with a sort of severity that melted only when they were alone, and every thread of clothing and strand of hair was always in its place even when she was smiling and genuinely relaxed.

She used to sing to him, too, crimson eyes pale with contentment and rough voice soothing. And she would tell him stories of the Hero of Time and his feats, of the Three and their labors of creation, of the Sheikah and their history. She had been Impa to Hyrule, but she had been something entirely different to him, and he had been so aware of that it had made his heart ache with joy.

And then she'd betrayed him in every way a mother could.

"You should be dead." He breathed, shaking.

"By the Three…!" Her words were hushed, eyes wide and hands fluttering above her breast. The movement threw him more off-guard than anything else she could have done—it was so unlike her to use such a flighty gesture, something so indecisive.

"What…" The world fell numbly from his lips and he took a half-step back, the door clicking shut as he sagged against it. She stepped past Link, joy still lighting her eyes.

"I…He told me you were dead! By Nayru's Love, you're _alive!_ And all grown up—just look at you! Why, you look just like your brother!_"_

"I don't…" His voice trembled so badly he could barely understand himself, and that seemed to shake her out of her joy. Concern—_concern—_flitted across her face and she reached a hand out to him, touching his arm gently.

"The Shadow Temple is a Distortion, love. I've been here since the Great Betrayal, waiting for the Hero. He said he'd met a Sheikah…that would have made him useless to me—but it's _you!_" She seemed unable to continue, and she embraced him as tears of joy spilled down her cheeks.

The embrace was familiar. She was thinner and smaller and far more fragile, but her arms held the same strength that she'd possessed when he'd been a small child.

_No._

He pushed away from her, and fell sideways, crashing into a shelf. Objects spewed across the floor, but he couldn't keep himself from staring at her.

"You _betrayed_ us."

Vaguely, he was aware of Link's confusion, his fear, his nerves, but even as his words spiked the Hylian's emotions, he couldn't grasp onto the Hero's mind for anything.

"Is that what he told you?" A very careful expression fell over her face, something akin to righteous anger and pity.

"Who?" He found himself asking hoarsely, though he knew full well.

"Your father never understood, love. He took you from me—stole you from your very bed and made off with you in the middle of the night. I looked for you—and when I found him he told me you'd died, and…thank Nayru! But how did you survive, love?"

"The Seventh." He shouldn't have been talking, shouldn't have been letting her slowly approach him like he was some wild animal bound to go rabid—

"_Why_?"

"Why what, love?" There was such _kindness_ in her eyes.

"Why did you do it?" His voice broke.

_Everyone_ he had ever loved was dead because of her. And she was treating him like he was special, like he was some sort of goddess-send, and even the sight of him was a gift to her because she got to see him grown up just like—

_You look just like your brother…!_

Dear Lanayru, he had a fucking brother.

_He had a—_

He was going to be sick.

He slid to the floor, the back of one hand pressed over his mouth as he struggled to force himself to breathe.

"The Triforce has a piece for each of the three Great Races, love. Gerudo get Power, Hylians get Courage, and Sheikah get Wisdom."

"N—No—" She nodded, gently, sympathetically.

"When the first Great Betrayal occurred, we feared no Sheikah would be wise enough to wield Wisdom again, and we gave it to the Royal Family for safekeeping. They stole it from us in return, and claimed it was their rightful property—but we could do nothing. There were none among us with the power to control a fragment of the Triforce, let alone challenge the Royal Family."

They'd _what?_ No—she was lying. Malladus would have told him—_Veran_ would have told him—

Majora had always told him there were things his parents hadn't wanted him to know, and he'd always been aware that Malladus was not scrupulously honest.

_But this?_

"I hoped for your brother, love, but…then you were born and I just _knew_…Nayru wanted us to reclaim what was ours, and you were the perfect vessel."

It was with a dawning sort of horror that he understood what she was saying, and he couldn't look away from her, even as she knelt down beside him.

He was going to be sick.

"You were her fucking_nurse_."

"You're my _son_, love."

"Her _guardian."_

"My _blood."_

And he knew then, the Zelda trapped in the desert had loved Impa as fiercely as he loved Veran, and when his mother had betrayed him it had broken her so badly that even in death, she had believed it fully Ganondorf's fault—she had ignored _everything_ that told her otherwise.

He would not let the Traitor break him, too.

She reached out again, and Beth began screaming with a sort of terrified panic Sheik had only ever heard from her once before—when the creature in the desert had tried to bind him.

He reached out for a weapon, something, _anything_ he could use to defend himself and his fingers closed around something hard and sharp, and the Traitor's eyes grew round with shock and anger as her magic slammed into his and he _screamed_ as agony beyond anything he had ever felt before consumed him—

He was going to be sick.

She was trying to _bind_ his soul to hers.

And then there was a tugging sensation in his gut and his vision blurred and he felt himself falling apart.

There was nothing he could do to stop it.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Link had been in a very large number of situations in which he couldn't think clearly and his life had been in danger, but this was worse than all of them, because it was Sheik who was in danger and while it wasn't his life, it was his _mind._

Midna's voice had shook when she'd told him that the stress of seeing the woman in Kakariko—_Old_ Kakariko—coupled with her attack and the pressure of both Beth _and_ Link being present in his head in full, even if it was only for a half-second, had been too much to bear.

Link could feel it, the harsh, jagged edges and tumulus chaos of it. He was terrified beyond rational thought and in agony and he had no idea what was going on around him anymore.

It was only Midna, screaming at him to _do something dammit_ that kept him from falling into a similar state of panic.

She'd warped them somewhere in Hyrule Field. Link wasn't sure how much time had passed but he had the feeling Midna had held them in that in-between Twilight far longer than normal because the sky was black and the moon in the center of the sky.

Sheik was crumpled in a boneless heap in the grass clutching something to his stomach and—_Holy Farore_, was that _blood?_

Link was at his side in an instant, but the sight of Sheik froze him in a way nothing ever had before.

There _was_ blood, on his palms and spilling through his fingers. He was clutching an object that glowed with a brilliant purple light, illuminating his face sharply.

His eyes were open wide, tears spilling down his cheeks hot and thick, though he seemed unaware of it.

Link tried to pry the purple thing out of his hands, but Sheik's grip was iron. Too scared of further injuring him to forcibly remove it, Link let him hold onto it. Instead he pulled Sheik's cowl down so he could breathe easier, and pushed his bangs off of his face, trying to get him to focus.

"Sheik, hey, look at me. I'm—" Raw terror spiked through Link's skull, leaving him reeling as Sheik began crying out.

The sound broke his heart. Sheik sounded so _lost, _so _afraid._ And there was nothing Link could do to stop it—_that_ he couldn't handle.

"Midna—Midna I can't—what—how am I—_help me fix this!"_

"You need to get him to calm down!"

"_I can't!_" Link shouted, drawing Sheik close to him. He was struggling now, writhing in pain and fear as he tried to break free of Link, and Link held him tighter.

He was crying too, he realized.

"Then distract him!"

Link wanted to shout back, to scream at her, but he could feel the grated edges of Sheik's mind snapping against one another, falling deeper and deeper. Much longer and he'd _never_ be able to recover, Link realized with a dawning horror.

He needed something Sheik would recognize through his panic clearly, something he'd know came from somebody safe.

He pulled Sheik closer to him, twisting his body so that they faced one another, and cradled Sheik's head in his hands. The object Sheik had been holding hit the ground with a solid _thump_, casting them into shadow as its light flickered and dimmed.

Sheik's hands fluttered up, fingertips brushing Link's wrist, and for half an instant, Link thought Sheik saw him, recognized him.

And before it was gone, he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against Sheik's.

The kiss was so hard it was painful, and Link tasted the tang of blood—though he couldn't tell if it was his or Sheik's.

He realized immediately it was a mistake.

He'd known since the desert his behavior was growing different, but until then—until that first moment of contact, Sheik's taste on his tongue and body pressed hard against his—it hadn't bothered him.

But this—_this—_was too much, because he knew with a cold certainty that he could never take this back. He could never begin to un-remember the feel or heat or _closeness_ of him, never get rid of the sudden hot, hungry need flooding him.

Sheik let out a soft mewl, a sound so uncharacteristic of him that Link pulled back a hair, drawing in a deep breath. He was crying, tears splashing onto Sheik's face as his finger's grazed Sheik's lips, seeking out anything that could have made him make a sound like that.

Sheik drew in a sharp, quick breath and the shards of glass in Sheik's mind lurched back into motion—and Sheik kissed him with a sudden ferocity, a sudden desperation.

His mind began to still, slowly, and Link let sentient thought slide away.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**TO BE VERY CLEAR, Impa is the Traitor, and the Traitor is Sheik's birth mom. Case you didn't catch it.**

**WOW. This was SO not supposed to happen, but plot-bunnies went, 'Hey! Look at us! We're better than the original plot!' **and they were right**. ****Not the meeting Impa bit, but the 'why' bit.**

**I still don't know what the hell happened to Link's hat.**

**THIS CHAPTER THOUGH. I WANT TO WRITE FLUFF SO BADLY AND IT WON'T LET ME. MIDNA KEPT GIVING THE PERFECT OPENINGS OMG. ****_Stupid plot_****. **

**This chapter marks the official 200+ pages part of the story! It's so big now! Almost grown up :3 Also, this is the only chapter that the word 'purple' shows up in LOL.**

**Anyway, thank you very much for AtsukoSchulyer, who entirely restored my faith in this story LOL. Not to say that it was lost, but it was looking like another five month break, and now it's not x3 (Well, it might have been five months, but you know. Longer) I'm sorry for the wait, BUT…Skyrim distracted me. I'm gonna try my hand at mod making. Fan-based of course: Welcome to Night Vale, RWBY, and Doctor Who. Though making Midna (TALL form, not imp) or Sheik might be a possibility…**

**So, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :3 The whole story's been leading up to this, so, I hope you enjoy most of the rest of the plot being revealed. (There's still a couple more twists coming up though. Don't worry).**


	18. ATTENTION

We no longer need Skyward Sword footage.

Literally the day after I posted the stuff begging someone to contact us, someone I had previously contacted responded.

AND I LOVE THEM FOR IT.

I AM going to link the Abridged on FFN, on my profile, when it's out. Right now the tentative date is June 5th? So if you're interested, please keep an eye out!

(SORRY. Not an update for the story. Just an Abridged update LOL)


	19. Shadow Creatures

The first thing Midna had him do, after Sheik finally fell into a light, uneasy sleep, was to help with the aftereffects of the woman's spell. His mind was too unstable to touch, and most of what was causing him pain involved her power battling his.

Link was in absolutely no shape to deal with anything—he was exhausted, and hungry, and thirsty, and he could still taste Sheik and that was _very very bad_ when trying to do anything _near_ Sheik because he could barely think straight—but it was hurting Sheik, and the thought of letting it happen when he could have stopped it was far more powerful than lust, and so he found himself trying to ask the Triforce for help.

Midna said Zelda didn't know how to control hers either, which didn't make him feel any better. Last time he'd used it, Sheik had been hurt—but the thing that had been attacking them had been something physical, sort of, and not part of Sheik. Sort of.

"Can you feel it?" She asked, hovering over the thing Sheik had dropped. It was still casting purple light all around, and when she sent it into his shadow with a snap of her fingers, the lack of light disoriented him for a moment.

"I don't even know how—no, Midna." He droned, when she moved closer, ready to hit him.

"We'll have to try now. Close your eyes and reach into his head. Well, not _into_ it, but around it. Beth says you'll feel his magic eventually."

"How _long?_" Link hissed, the word escaping clenched teeth as Sheik's eyes flashed open. Sheik made it halfway into a sitting position, fingers clenched around Link's wrist, before his eyes fluttered shut again and he slumped back down.

"Sooner you start, sooner it's over."

She was right, and they both knew it.

He let out a shaky breath and obeyed, reaching out for Sheik's mind.

It was there in an instant, a hot, angry fire burning against Sheik's cool presence. As soon as Link touched it flared up, drawing a ragged cry from Sheik's throat.

He was barely aware of lashing out. It was entirely instinct, entirely fury and completely rage.

The power of the Triforce crackled along the alien power, burning it away as if it were nothing.

But it was crafty, and sought chinks in Sheik's mind, trying to escape Link. The Triforce proved its worth, though—it could differentiate between Sheik and the foreign magic, thank Farore, and in what felt like moments, every scrap had been torn away and destroyed.

He opened his eyes, a relieved huff escaping him—

—and the ground couldn't reach him fast enough.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

It took them two days to get to Kakariko. Sheik stayed unconscious for most of the journey, bundled in front of Link on Epona. He was never fully lucid, but was usually aware enough to eat, if pressed. Midna had him poke at Sheik's mind as they journeyed. She told him to pretend it was a jigsaw puzzle, and to put everything back where it fit.

But that was hard, because he was so scared of hurting Sheik that every time he shifted anything and Sheik reacted—to flinch, or cry, or so much as _blink—_he swore he'd never do it again.

Until Midna told him the alternative was to leave Sheik broken. For good. So he forced himself to continue.

So far the best he'd been able to manage was to partially block Beth out, as ordered by the Poe and Midna. That _had_ seemed to help, somewhat. But there were so _many_ broken bits of Sheik, and sometimes he would touch one and he'd relive whatever memory or feeling or thought of Sheik's it was, and he hated that. Sheik was very private, and invading his _mind_ like that—it made Link sick.

They got to Kakariko in the middle of the night again, and rather than take him inside, Link took him directly to the graveyard.

In the Temple of Time, and again in the Desert, the dead had been able to help heal Sheik. Those injuries had been to his body, but maybe they would be able to help with his mind too.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Midna asked softly. Link had sent Epona off near the mouth of the entrance to the village. He'd left on bad terms, and he didn't have the time or energy to spend making amends or dealing with the problems that would surface should the kids, or Renado, or Shad know of his return.

"If one of them tries to get in my way, I can't promise I won't kill them right now, Midna." She drifted in front of him, arms folded across her chest, eyes narrowed.

"This will take time."

"So stall them. You can use illusion magic or whatever, can't you? You turned into Ilia that one time—"

"That was me being a bitch. I can't. Sheik's magic can do whatever the fuck he wants with illusions. Mine lasted half a second and it was only an appearance. I couldn't make myself talk like you, sound like you, smell like you, walk like you, or any of the other disgusting things you do like you. Get it?"

He'd never heard Midna ramble as much as she had on their way to Kakariko. She was nervous, and scared. And that made him even more so. She was like Sheik—something larger than life and infallible. Even Zant's betrayal hadn't stopped her—for Din's sake, it had barely slowed her down!

But this had.

"First thing's first. When he's coherent, don't talk about what happened right away. Sort it out later. Let him come to grips with it piece by piece." Midna's lecture tone suddenly dissolved into a snort of laughter, and Link glanced up at her sharply as they slipped past Renado's house and down the path to the graveyard.

"I've seen some crazy-ass parent issues, but this kid tops the cake. His fucking _mother?_ Explains a lot about his attitude, huh?"

"Midna—" His tone was venom, sharp as a dagger, and it only made her laugh harder.

"Hush, you. What in the Three happened to _your_ parents anyway, huh? Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine…and Zelda's."

He rolled his eyes at her as they emerged into the cemetery.

For a minute, Link was firmly convinced he was seeing things incorrectly. The last time he'd been in the graveyard, there had been nowhere near the number of gravestones there were now, and none of them had been that tall—and holy _fucking Farore_, those were _not_ gravestones.

He didn't even have words to describe the things waiting for him—like they'd _known_ he would be coming. Some were skeletons, dried flesh clinging to their bones and burial-jewelry, or at least what was left of it, clacking softly against exposed ivory. Others were tall, shoulders drooping and entirely covered head-to-toe in bandages. There were Poes, of course—a shit ton of them, and Beth appeared along with an orange Poe that looked vaguely like her and a bigger purple Poe that looked even more vaguely like her.

Link didn't even bother questioning their presence. There were _hordes_ of undead crammed into the graveyard, and every single one of them was looking at him.

Something moved, immediately claiming his attention.

He damn near had a heart attack when he saw the thing approaching him.

It was a massive, squelching blob of flesh, thinning into a long, slender neck that drooped down to what was probably supposed to be its chest, with a head dangling from that. The only bones he could clearly see in it were its teeth—sharp, pointed, and glistening dangerously in the moonlight. Stubs that he figured had once been arms protruded out of its mass, and they seemed extended, as if it was reaching for him.

For Sheik.

Link held him tighter, forcing his fear down—because the things didn't smell _wrong_ in a way most other undead things he'd found had. Its scents were that of decay and death and old, ancient things, but not of magic and not of poison. Not of rot.

They were there to help.

_Before I give him to you, you have to promise you're not going to take him down there. Because I know you want to, but he's trying to find the others and bring them back, and having all the Sheikah back will be better than having one back._

Was what he _meant _to say. But his nerves were frayed and in his exhaustion he'd finally reached a sort of equilibrium between his two forms and Sheik was _his_, dammit.

"If you don't bring him back when he wakes up, I will kill every last one of you bastards. He's _mine_."

The thing's grin seemed to widen a fraction, and Link slowly approached it, holding Sheik out.

Rather than grab him, the thing moved back a bit, and Link stopped dead.

Out of the ground burst long, pale things—_hands_, he realized, more than he could count—and they reached up and took Sheik from him as gently as possible. It was surreal, almost, if the sudden lack of Sheik's heat hadn't been so noticeable.

The thing didn't move for a moment, regarding him silently, and Link hesitated before speaking again.

"She did this to him. So she's gonna die. But I think he'll want to be the one to do it. So you need to bring him back up anyway. I'm waiting here 'till then." Its head bobbed slowly, nodding.

"Thank you." Link murmured, relaxing. The grin grew even _wider_—proving once and for all that _no, _there were _not_ bones in its head because they'd have broken by now—and it turned, slithering its way through the graves with Sheik in tow.

All of the dead converged around it, silent as death, and Link turned his back to them respectfully, because he knew Sheik wouldn't want him to see where the Ninth was and he wasn't going to push it with the Ninth's charges.

When he turned back around, every single one of them was gone.

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It wasn't the smell or the cold or the awareness of being surrounded by dead that woke him. It was the fact that Link wasn't trying to suffocate or crush him, that Sheik couldn't feel him close by. All of the fucking _whining_ and the asshole couldn't even be bothered to _stay there?_ For Lanayru's sake, at least when Skull Kid cried about something and he got it he didn't up and fucking _leave_—not right when Sheik got fucking _used_ to it.

He growled, irritated, and pushed himself up.

His head exploded into agony as soon as he did so, and he fell back down, unable to articulate so much as a whimper.

Something shifted next to him and—Sweet Lanayru. Dead Hand. _Hugging_ him.

He was in the fucking Ninth.

There was no way in Hyrule that a creature _that_ rare and _that_ powerful would have been anywhere other than the Ninth. Which meant that was where he was—which made sense, once the pain in his head went away and he could think clearly. He could feel the magic of it _everywhere_ around him, sense things waking and watching him.

And _fucking Lanayru_, the scent of decay and of death was nearly suffocating it was so strong.

It still didn't tell him why the fuck a _Dead Hand_ was caring for him—Gibdos would take care of Sheikah, but every tale Veran had ever told him about Dead Hands had never mentioned them being anything remotely _close_ to kind. And how had he gotten—

Sheik realized that there was something he shouldn't think about in that moment, that whatever had happened there was a _reason_ he didn't remember it.

That angered him, but he forced himself not to act on that anger. Whatever he wasn't remembering terrified him, and he knew he wasn't ready to deal with it.

So. First—get the fuck out of the Ninth and find Link, before the dead got pissed at him and decided they rather liked having a Sheikah back. He'd never faced them head-on, but he'd heard Veran's stories. Though he doubted they could be as clingy as Link was, he wasn't going to take that risk.

Something sticky and rubbery brushed his cheek, and Sheik realized that he was crying. His hand shook when he reached up and closed his fingers around a nub—the Dead Hand's arm.

Its magic touched his carefully, gently, and Sheik started at the familiarity of it.

And he remembered the night he and Malladus had been taken, when he had put the Ninth before his own safety. He remembered something snapping bindings and _surging_ upwards, furious that someone was attacking him, and he remembered trying to calm it, restoring the bonds.

The Dead Hand's magic sparked with echoes of his own.

A soft 'oh' escaped him, and Sheik pushed himself up slowly.

A Poe sparked to life, illuminating his surroundings with its green light, and he murmured his thanks numbly.

The Ninth was still pristine, and it took his breath away—not how _neat_ everything was, even covered in dust, but how much _care_ had been shown, and how reverently the dead were as they shifted about, careful not to disturb any of their sleeping brethren or make any noise.

The Sheikah may not have been able to take care of their charges, but their charges could take care of themselves, to some extent.

The passage he was in was relatively large, for a tunnel, with a high arcing ceiling and intricately carved stone shelves each containing stiff burial shrouds, some covering bodies, others lying discarded on the stone. Poes floated at the top of the vaulted ceiling, clustering tightly above him. He craned his neck around, and saw Gibdos, each still wearing ceremonial armor and their heavy blades dangling from skeletal fingertips, lined up behind him. Something scraped along stone behind them, and his gaze rose to see a horde of Wall Masters scrambling in the space between the Poes and the Gibdo's heads.

Something brushed his cheek again and he turned back to the Dead Hand, fingers rising to touch its nub. He was still crying, he realized, and that was upsetting it.

"I'm…fine. Where's…?" The Dead Hand's nub fell and its permanent grin widened as it reared back—a movement, Sheik realized a second later, not that much unlike a living person standing up. He followed suit, albeit much more unsteadily.

He was _weak,_ shaking, _crying_, and he didn't know why. He was going to _murder_ Link.

Something gripped his wrist—one of the Dead Hand's hands, a glance revealed—and tugged him forward.

He followed, and the dead surrounding him did so too.

They were not there out of curiosity, he realized, when they kept him sandwiched between them. They were there to _protect_ him.

From _what?_

They never left the tunnel they were on, though it branched off on multiple occasions. The only sound they made was that of movement—and of Sheik's breathing. The silence _ached_, so much so that it physically _hurt._

The dead liked music. Majora had told him once, as a small child, and that was most of the reason why Sheik had learned to play. Sheikah burials were long and elaborate and, most of all, _loud._ More music meant stable dead, and that was worth it in itself.

Sheik didn't think so, not anymore. Music was just a way to remind them that they weren't alone—because the Ninth _screamed_ with loneliness, with sorrow, and he knew that _that_ was why he was crying.

So when a faint whine broke the silence, Sheik noticed it right away.

The sound was continuous, constant, and as it grew louder, Sheik saw more conscious dead—fewer of the burial shelves were occupied, and their progress slowed.

And when the Dead Hand moved out of the way, grin widening even further, he understood why.

The ReDead was tiny. It had to have been young when it died—no older than eight, Sheik would guess, though it was so small it looked younger. Its flesh was translucent, stretched so tightly across its bones that Sheik half expected its spine to tear out of its skin. It was curled around something he couldn't see, but it was the source of the noise.

Everything moved out of his way when he stepped forward, but the ReDead didn't so much as flinch when he settled beside it.

When he reached out a hand and touched its head, however, the whining cut off abruptly. Keeping his touch feather-light, he ran his hand from the top of its head to the small of its back, and repeated the movement.

"…My name's…well, technically, I don't have a name. Lanayru recognizes it, but other Sheikah wouldn't, so that's irrelevant. But I'm called Sheik. And I wasn't born to those I call family, but they did more for me than anyone…though I have the nagging feeling I'll owe Link even more soon."

At the sound of the mutt's name, the ReDead flinched.

"…No. Not the Hero of Time. _My_ Link. He's a wolfos, the son of a bitch…you've felt him before. Him and Midna. They put the Hero of Time here…I hope you're enjoying yourself with him. I'd like a turn, but…everything keeps going to fuck, up there."

"_bad."_

The ReDead's voice was stronger than Sheik had expected it to be, but he looked down nonetheless, raising an eyebrow.

"…_words."_ It finished, reluctantly. Sheik cracked a smile, and shrugged.

"How long have you been here?"

"_…__she says three hundred years."_ The answer came after a pregnant pause.

"I've been around for over _five_ hundred. And it's common knowledge that after four hundred years bad words are alright to say."

"_...what about if you don't make it that long?"_

"There are always exceptions, little one."

"_because he didn't."_ The ReDead moved, sitting up against him and uncurling from around whatever it was holding, placing it gently in Sheik's lap.

It was half of a skull, cracked and edges sharp and jagged, stained with rust-colored blood. The skin covering the ReDead's stomach and palms was shredded.

He let out a soft sound and reached out with his magic, repairing the wounds as he spoke.

"Neither did my friend, but Lanayru didn't curse her, little one."

"_…__is she here? your friend?"_

"No." The word fell from his lips, hard and cold.

"_why not?"_

"…There was a war. Before you came here. I don't know where she is, but…I know Eldin and Lanayru are watching out for her."

"_why Eldin?"_

"Because she was Gerudo."

The ReDead rested its head against him, and nodded as it took the skull back. He let out a slow, shaky breath, and laced his fingers together to hide their shaking. Whatever had happened to bring him here—it was far worse than he'd thought it was. Not if his nerves were shot like this, and he didn't even know what the fuck was wrong.

"_they want me to talk to you. because they can't."_

"Will you?"

"_if you pray for him."_

"…You know…" Sheik trailed off after a moment, studying the ReDead closely. It refused to look at him, though.

"…Majora once told me that a Sheikah's first burial prayer was the strongest. I wanted to pray for one of Skull Kid's puppets…a Hylian destroyed it, before Skull Kid got him. So I didn't, because Majora very rarely lies, and I thought there'd be something far more important for me to use it on." It looked at him then, serious.

"Majora was right."

They didn't pray for him—whoever 'him' was—in a traditional sense. Traditionally, there was a lot of beseeching and chanting and begging and magic involved, and Sheik didn't have the patience or stamina for something that draining—healing the ReDead had taken most of his power. Instead, they put their hands on the skull bit and made a far more personal plea to Lanayru.

Everything in the Ninth felt it when Lanayru's magic enveloped the skull. Though there was no spirit tied to it, Lanayru still took it. It faded from their fingers, along with Lanayru's surge of magic, and when her presence left him it also took every bit of power he had remaining.

Something caught him before he hit the ground, but he was unconscious before he could utter so much as a thanks.

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"You need to get some sleep."

"I'm fine."

It had been his response for the past thirty hours, and Midna was getting sick of Link's _shit._

The graveyard had been absolutely still since the scary-as-fuck thing had taken him—Midna had no idea what was going on in Link's skull to let it take him, but, _whatever._ Sheik was a big boy, and he could take care of himself.

It was Link, and when the two of them were _together—_that was when Midna lost all faith in their abilities.

Well, _now_ she was, anyway.

"I'm telling you one more time Link, _go to sleep_. Sheik's going to kill me if he comes back and finds you fucking _dead_ from exhaustion!"

They'd holed up near Ralis's father's grave, because no one else knew where it was besides Sheik. To their knowledge, anyway.

Link was pacing the tiny chunk of land the grave was on relentlessly. He looked like shit, worse than he had when he'd ran all across Hyrule in one night because they'd had to go the long way around Lake Hylia and Ilia was finally free of Twilight.

This was different, of course. Then, Link had viewed saving the brats and the girl as the end of his 'hero' stint, even though he'd fully intended to go on to kill Zant. Now, he was just worried as fuck for Sheik, scared out of his mind, and in absolutely no shape to be dealing with any of it.

He _was_ going to kill himself at this rate, though.

She really shouldn't have been so excited to do what she was gonna do.

"I can sleep when he's _back!_ Right now he's not even—"

She caught him hard on the back of his head, and he dropped like a stone.

He'd have a bad headache when he woke up, but at least he was _sleeping_, now.

_That was mean…_

"Shut up, Zelda. You wanted to do it too."

_…__It's still mean._ She didn't even try to deny it.

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"_Fuck!"_

"_still a bad word."_

Sheik ignored the ReDead, gasping desperately for breath as he clutched his head. Fucking _Link—_what the fuck was he _doing?_ Sheik had _felt_ it—it had woken him up. Was that even _possible?_

If it wasn't Midna trying to crack their heads open, Sheik was going to spill some blood when he got back up there.

The pain faded before he even got control of his breathing though, and he let out a shudder of relief.

"_was it the Beast?"_

"What?" Sheik asked, attention snapping to the ReDead.

"_the one who brought you here. she says he's Faron's Beast."_

"My…bonded. Yeah. The fucker."

"_Sheik…"_

"Sorry, sorry."

The ReDead looked happier than before. It was nestled into his side, and he had been lying against the Dead Hand again. They were very…_cuddly_. More so than Link, but that might have been because Link wasn't there, and he trusted the dead.

"_she says that the Beast wants you back. so you can't stay."_ He could feel the disappointment that colored the ReDead's voice.

"I'll be back. With others, hopefully. And when the bitch is dead…we'll connect the Ninth to wherever it is they're settled. Repair the magic." Everything went still.

"_you know about the…the Betrayer?"_

"Yeah. She…" That was it, he realized, as his head began to ache—not with phantom pains from Link, but in the prelude to a sort of raw agony he knew he wasn't prepared to deal with. His voice trailed off, died, and he slowly put his head in his hands.

It was the sudden shock of physical pain that snapped him back to the present. He let out a strangled cry, free hand scrambling for his shoulder, but the Dead Hand didn't let him go.

His fingers scrabbled ineffectually against its hide, but his struggles died after a moment, and when he fell still, it opened its jaws and released his shoulder.

"…Thank you." The Dead Hand waited a half-second longer before nudging him gently with its nubs. Sheik pressed a hand to his shoulder, letting out a shuddery breath. It _hurt._

He really shouldn't be so used to gushing blood out, but…

"_you need to leave soon. they're coming."_

"Who?" He asked hoarsely, struggling to yank off a ribbon of bandages.

"…_the Shadow Temple's not really safe. not everywhere. some are angry. some want you to stay. we'll help you leave, but you have to go now."_

As it spoke it took over from him, pulling the bandages free of his wrist and looping them around his shoulder. The bindings were far looser than he'd have liked, but they only had to last until he found Link.

"How far?"

"_not that long. come on. we'll take you."_ The Dead Hand helped him up as the ReDead spoke.

And they set out.

They moved far faster this time. The halls they went through were almost empty, and those whom they did pass studied them with wide eyes and scurried out of their way. The ReDead held his hand the entire time, tugging him forward, while the Dead Hand took the rear. Every time Sheik stumbled they were patient enough to wait for him, but they set a brisk pace.

"You know, you should sing for them." The ReDead looked up at him, startled. He hadn't spoken since they'd begun moving.

_"__me?"_

"Yes, you. Let them know they're not alone down here. Get others who can speak too." His wound throbbed painfully, but he wasn't so far gone that he couldn't concentrate on anything. He'd be fine, so long as they found Link.

"_but…"_

"We'll be back as soon as we can, but there's something up there that will kill all of us if L—if…the Beast doesn't kill it first. And we might fail. Somebody else will come after me, but…until then…sing. Or tell stories."

_"__i don't know any good stories."_

"You can't make them up? I'm sure that if you ask, you'll get help." He cast a glance at the Dead Hand meaningfully, and its grin widened again. It was the only expression it could make, but Sheik was beginning to be able to differentiate between what grin meant what. This one, if he had to guess, was pride.

"_…__i guess i could. but you have to promise to come back! really promise, not just say it. you can't die."_

The ReDead looked so scared, suddenly.

Sheik couldn't stand living kids. They were demanding, and annoying, and unsettling. Ralis was an exception. But, staring at the ReDead, he suddenly knew with a sudden clarity why Link spent so much time with the kids in New Kakariko. Why he did—why he'd _done—_so much for them.

"...I swear on the Eye that I'll come back."

And the ReDead proved that they could, in fact, smile.

And then they were there.

"_she says this is it."_

The air was still as stale and dead as it had been before, but Sheik knew that it wasn't an indicator of an exit. The wards on the Ninth would keep anything from entering, unless it was Sheikah. The doorway in front of him was nondescript in every sense of the word, save that the spells cloaking the Ninth were wrapped loosely around it—this was a weak spot in the Ninth's magic.

He leaned back against the Dead Hand, letting himself relax for a moment. The ReDead leaned against his side, silent.

"Thank you. Both of you."

"_come back."_

"I will." He didn't say goodbye, and neither did they. He took a deep breath and pushed away from both of them. The door cracked open as he approached, and cold air sliced through his lungs.

"_she says you better."_

And the Ninth closed behind him without a sound.

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**So this chapter just kinda...happened. It was supposed tp be longer. And none of this was supposed to happen. But...whatever.**

**Went to Wisconsin for my cousin's graduation, and got this done on the way. Vid software sucks battery life like no tomorrow, so instead I typed on the way up/back LOL. Lucky yous.**

**I was going to say something here but plot bunnies are spawning so fast I think they just destroyed my thing. ALL THE LITTLE THINGS WILL ADD UP LATER. SO CATCH THE DETAILS NOW. See if you can guess what'll happen. Imaginary cookies to anyone who gets it right—they go great with your imaginary edition of the news! (Subtle WtNV reference is subtle)**

**No, but, seriously. Take a moment to appreciate how odd Sheik's childhood was. Like, it's the equivalent of Alduin raising a baby Dovahkiin to kill him. And not in a Korosensei kind of way, but a 'DO IT OR ELSE' kind of way. WITH some bitchy-ass Daedric Princes wanted to be called 'aunt' and 'uncle'. And NOT in the way most people seem to think Sheogorath would be. **

**((Seriously, that's one of my biggest peeve with Elder Scrolls fanstuff. Sheogorath might be a pretty funny character, but he did some ****_really_****awful shit to Malacath's son, not to mention the music thing…))**


	20. Shadow Recovering

**THE ABRIDGED IS UP. Links below and on my profile!**

She really wanted to yell at them. But the chance never presented itself, and by the time it _did_, her anger had found other sources.

She had been the one to find Sheik. He'd been stumbling around in the graveyard, looking like shit and clutching the nastiest wound she'd ever seen—his shoulder had been a bloody pulp barely covered by bandages, and holy _fuck_, he'd been _covered_ in decaying body matter.

He'd asked if she'd been the one to hit Link. She'd said yes. He'd said he wanted a bath, and then passed out cold.

She'd refused to wake up Link, so she'd had to drag Sheik to the Zora grave, and clean him up, _and_ bandage his wound back up. By herself.

All while keeping Link from rolling into the water and drowning and keeping both boys on the tiny little sliver of land they were camping out on, _and_ while keeping them separate because even unconscious, if Link got a hold of Sheik, she'd never be able to separate them. And Sheik's shoulder couldn't take much more stress.

On the bright side, Zelda had told her, she got to see Sheik naked before Link did. And while that _was_ a high point—scarred as fuck or not, Sheik _did_ look pretty good—it was _so_ not worth it.

She was a fucking Queen, not a babysitter. She didn't have time for that _shit._

She told herself that Zelda was the one worried, that it was Zelda's fault and not hers that she panicked every time one of the boys let out the smallest sound of discomfort. She told herself that she was _angry_, not afraid.

Fear and uncertainty were fine. She lived with them daily—Twilit politics were brutal and far less flowery than Hylian politics were—but not _this_ sort. Defending her throne was different from seeing her boys broken and knowing that this time, they might not recover.

Link woke in the morning, though, and that calmed them down considerably.

"He's back?" She wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question, but she nodded when Link looked at her and every muscle in his body relaxed far faster than she thought physically possible.

"He seemed fine about the shoulder. Didn't even mention it before he passed out. But I'd get Renado to look at it anyway 'cause I'm positive I didn't get all the dead bits out of it."

"...What?" Link's expression was amusing, if only for a moment. She gathered up the pile she'd made out of Sheik's bloody clothing—he _was_ dressed, but in Link's old clothes, because she wasn't even going to _attempt_ anything with his bandages—and sent them into Link's shadow. They could pick through all of Link's shit later, but it _was_ getting kind of cramped in there.

"Get him to Renado."

"But—" She reached out and grabbed Link's chin, jerking his head up to face her.

"Get him. To Renado. Now." He stared at her for a heartbeat longer before nodding, letting out a shaky breath.

He gathered up Sheik and she transported them into the cemetery because there was no way he was going to be able to get Sheik through the tiny fucking hole Ralis used when Sheik was injured.

And then she hid in his shadow, close to the surface. Link was still in bad shape, and she didn't know what Kakariko would bring. There was going to be a fight of some sort—and if she had to show herself, she would. Because she'd shown herself once already, why _not_ to the rest of Hyrule?

Kakariko was awake when Link stumbled into the town, bruised and bloodied and disheveled, clutching an even _more_ bruised, bloodied, and disheveled Sheik to his chest. All of Link's little brats had been playing tag or something in the main road, and they all froze and stared.

But the kids had seen a lot of shit since they'd been captured, and they immediately sprang into action. The girls ran towards Renado's home and the boys split up—the brothers running inside the hotel and Colin hurrying towards Link.

"Link! What—"

"I need—Renado's gotta—"

"C'mon! The infirmary's empty now 'cause Ralis is gone. But, Link, Shad's really _really_ mad at him." Colin's gaze flickered to Sheik, his face pale.

It wasn't as if there was a _lot_ of blood. Midna knew how to clean a wound, for fuck's sake. But there was only so much she could do, and Sheik had bled through his bandages.

And then Renado was there, expression grave, posture stiff.

"What is going on, Link?" The relief in Link's gaze when he looked up was nearly tangible, though it didn't sway the shaman at all.

"He got—I don't know. He got hurt. And I can't—please, Renado. It's just his shoulder—" Link would have kept rambling if Renado hadn't cut him off.

"Do you not realize the state you left Kakariko in the last time you came?"

She could see the change in Link's appearance when Renado didn't move to help, when he just snapped at him. Link's panic faded and he stood up straighter, arms tightening around Sheik's form as a cold sort of look came over his face.

Well, no. Sheik could look cold, hard as stone and uncaring. So could she. But Link wasn't like that. Especially lately. He might have known Renado, known he was a good man and a kind man and liked him, but in that moment, his expression made it very clear that Link didn't care. At all. And it was fury, rage. Heat of a sort Midna had seen on no one before, not even Zant.

"Nobody died. Ralis is safe. And right now, Sheik's hurt. I need your help. I've got something for Ilia and I need to talk to Shad, and then we'll go if you want. But if you want to stand here wasting my time while Sheik's _bleeding out_, I will fucking kill you."

Renado stared at him, eyes dark and silent. Hearing the Hero of his daughter and his town threaten to kill him should have rattled him, horrified him. And his expression did grow colder, but he didn't say so much as a word. Instead, he nodded and turned back to the hotel, calling back over his shoulder for Link to follow.

And any trust Midna had harbored in the elderly shaman vaporized.

He was more a threat to her boys than she'd suspected.

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"This looks like a bite mark, Link, but I know of nothing with teeth this long or a jaw this wide." Renado's voice broke the heavy silence that had filled the infirmary, and Ilia's already pale face whitened a she handed him a knife.

He'd almost told them that they couldn't use potion too late—Ilia had been reaching for the cabinet, the order just passing Renado's lips. He'd told them Sheik was allergic to some of the ingredients, and Ilia had accepted that almost immediately. Renado had just stared at him and then proceeded to work on Sheik's shoulder.

Link watched both of them like a hawk, just in case.

The memory of the thing that had taken Sheik, and its wide grin, resurfaced.

"I don't know how he got it."

"Link, this is not a normal bite. This thing—it should have bitten clean through. It did not even scrape the bone. This was intentional." Renado pressed.

That surprised Link, but he tried not to show that.

A distraction, Midna had said. Link had kissed him. Maybe the thing that had taken Sheik had thought of something different.

A flash of movement from Ilia caught his eye, and he saw her pull out a bottle he recognized immediately. Without so much as a word he got up and moved to the infirmary bed Sheik was sprawled out on, carefully maneuvering past Renado and sitting on Sheik.

Renado nodded his thanks, and began pouring.

Link had only ever felt the sting of alcohol once. He'd staggered down from Death Mountain into Kakariko without any remaining potion and a nasty would on his side. Renado had cleaned it with alcohol before sewing it shut. It wasn't he worst pain he'd ever felt, but it had _burned_.

Sheik's eyes shot open when it hit his shoulder, jaw clamping shut. He didn't scream, though his breathing became ragged, rough. Recognition flashed across his features when he saw Link, and Link very nearly wept with relief at the sheer murder in those ruby orbs.

He was fine. He'd be fine. _Thank Farore_, he'd be fine.

Sheik didn't stay lucid for long, though. Almost as soon as Renado was finished with the alcohol, he passed back out, and Link pushed himself off of him.

Renado finished up silently. Some of the puncture wounds needed stitches, but they were, once they'd been cleaned out, relatively clean wounds.

"I will not make you leave, Link. You both may stay until he is healed. But we will have a talk." Renado said softly, pausing in the doorway after he and Ilia had taken care of everything. She had already left.

"Thank you, Renado." He let out a soft hum and left, closing the door behind him. Link hesitated for a second before sitting on the edge of Sheik's bed, watching him intently. Sheik didn't look _peaceful_, but he _did_ looked more at ease than he usually did.

All Link could focus on at the moment was that Sheik was alright, that he'd be _fine._

"You're bleeding, Link." Midna's voice startled him, and he looked up at her sharply.

"Where?"

"Back of your head. Hold still."

Before he could respond she was touching it, and _damn_, it _hurt_. She didn't spend too long on it, though—she said she was getting his long-ass hair out of the way—and then made him drink some red potion. Link let out a noise of pain as his scalp tightened, flesh crawling as it knit itself up. It was the single most uncomfortable healing sensation he'd ever felt, even beyond his skull un-crushing itself in the desert.

"Your hair's getting long, mutt." She sighed, floating around to face him as she eyed him critically.

"So?"

"You need a haircut."

"…No."

Despite the fact they were bonded, and that Link could feel Sheik's mind, Sheik still managed to nearly give him a heart attack.

"…What?" He sounded very intelligent, but he couldn't help it. Sheik pushed himself up on his good arm, then reached out with it and tugged on a lock of his hair. His eyes were very _very_ dark.

"I like it this length."

And Link's mouth was suddenly dry.

Sheik didn't let go, and he moved closer, swinging one leg over Link's lap and straddling him.

"Sheik…" Link's voice came out higher than he'd have liked, and the smirk that played across Sheik's lips told Link he heard it. He was _warm,_ almost as hot as a fire, and Link shivered at his heat.

"Link?" Sheik leaned closer as he spoke, until there was barely a breathe of air between them. There was a barely audible squeak from Midna , but Link couldn't tear his eyes off of Sheik's. His ruby orbs were half-closed, studying him intensely.

He looked tired, still, but intent. Not a good combination, Link was willing to admit.

"…Yeah?"

"You kissed me." His stomach plummeted. He hadn't thought Sheik would remember.

"Uh—"

"You're fully aware of how much I dislike you touching me."

_Shit._

"You didn't even know I was there and Midna said to distract you—" Link blurted out, as Sheik shifted even closer to him. He pressed his hips harder against Link, chest-to-chest. Holy _fuck._

"So sticking your tongue down my throat was the first thing that came to mind?"

"You were out of it and it was the only thing I could think of that'd let you know it was me and that you were safe and—" He was nervous and his voice betrayed that very clearly. Sheik knew it full well as well, judging by the fact that he proceeded to make Link even _more_ nervous, even _more_ intensely aware of how close he was by shifting his weight, pressing harder against Link's left side. He drew in a sharp, shuddering breath, and his arms rose reflexively—and Link then remembered how very shirtless Sheik was at that moment.

"First it was sleeping. That I could have dealt with. This is something else." And Sheik's other hand rested on his hip, pressing hard against the bone. Link let out a noise that sounded acutely like a whimper, though it was most definitely _not._ Heroes did _not_ whimper. Especially when their Sheikah decided to fuck with them.

Because that was what Sheik was doing and they both knew it. But Sheik was right—kissing him had been a very bad decision.

"But it worked." Sheik said, and he pressed his body against Link, hard, as his hand rose from his shirt and his fingers tangled in Link's hair. His mouth dropped, and Link let out another not-whimper when Sheik stopped just above his lips, his heart skipping a beat painfully.

Holy _fuck._ No. He had to be dreaming. This was—_what?_

"What?" And that was _not_ a croak. Heroes also did not croak when their Sheikah decided to fuck them. Fuck _with _them—Farore damn it, he needed to stop thinking, because it wasn't helping the situation at _all_.

"You're not very good at hiding things from me. Your head just _empties_ into mine. I can feel _everything_ in here." Sheik tugged Link's head back, slightly harder than was really necessary but like _fuck_ Link was going to complain about it.

"Can I kiss you?" The question came out because the only other option at that point was to kiss him, and Sheik had just told him he wasn't very happy about that, and if he was going to do this for _one—_well, one _time_ kissing—then Link really didn't want to know what he'd do for a second. Or maybe he did. Fucking—_fuck_, he didn't know anymore.

Sheik's eyes were liquid, dark red, and his lips parted in a rough kind of smirk.

"No."

And that was most _definitely_ not a mewl of protest.

"My head—"

As if Link weren't already aware of how close Sheik was, Sheik pressed his body even harder against his, hard enough to bruise.

"—Is exploding. And _this_ drowns it out."

Link tried very hard not to jump on that little ray of hope Sheik was dangling for him, but his resolve didn't last very long.

"So—"

"This will break me. I think it already did, and that's why I don't remember it. But if I don't have you, it will break me again. So until this is sorted out—" And Sheik's mouth was hot against his, forceful as Sheik pushed him down onto the bed. His fingers splayed across Sheik's back, drawing him closer, holding him tightly.

It was one kiss, but it left Link breathless and mostly stunned because _what the fuck?!_ Not that he was complaining, but _holy shit._ Was Sheik _drunk?!_

Sheik let out a soft, strained laugh, leaning down. His hair was loose, and strands slipped out from behind his ears at the movement.

"We're not fucking. And if you try anything, I'll cut your hands off."

And that really was a cry of disappointment, because _anyone_ would have done the same, even if Sheik's eyes flashed dangerously at the sound.

"Soon as this is over, _this_ stops." Sheik sounded almost breathless as he said it. Link opened his mouth to protest—and Sheik took full advantage of it.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

They'd forgotten she was in the room again.

Which was fine. She was used to it. Her boys were ungrateful sons of bitches, but they put on one hell of a show this time, so she didn't really mind.

It was a good thing Zelda didn't have a body anymore, because she was damn near hyperventilating in Midna's head and wasn't _that_ uncomfortable.

"So…what the _fuck?!_"

Sheik winced, and didn't look up at her. Link had stumbled out of the room with a very large grin on his face not even five minutes ago, and all Sheik had managed to do was swing his legs over the side of the bed and sit up. His head was currently buried in the hand of the his left arm, his good one, and his gaze was locked firmly on the floor.

"It just...it hurt. And that made it go away."

"So the show…?" Another wince.

"I wanted the pain to go away. Stronger he's feeling, the less I feel."

"Well fuck that! I'll get some painkillers from Renado and break your leg, if that's all it takes. I mean, _damn_, Sheik." She was most definitely _not_ grinning like a maniac.

He wasn't _unattractive. _If you were into scars, anyway. Fuck, some days—most days, if she was being honest—Sheik looked better than Link. To her _and _Zelda.

Though she didn't have the best judgment at the moment. While the form Zant had cursed her into wasn't exactly _equipped_ for that sort of stuff, it did nothing for her desires. At all. So some shit was gonna go down _hard_ when she got her true form back.

"I couldn't think straight." It was a pathetic excuse and it fell flat.

"You're a painkiller whore." It was out, and Midna realized after a moment Sheik could be _very_ offended by that. Which hadn't been her intention at all. Zelda inwardly gasped in horror.

"I hate you." He sounded amused, and Midna cackled, Zelda sighing in relief.

"I'll be impressed if you last a week."

"I'm not fucking him!" Sheik sounded almost defensive, and his head snapped up to look at her. She couldn't hide her smirk.

"_He's_ gonna fuck you."

"No—"

"Sheik, you're teenagers. Male. And you _barely_ got him out of here before it got that far now." Which was true. Clothes had been in the process of being removed when Sheik had kicked Link out.

Aw, cute. He was blushing. She didn't think she'd ever seen Sheik blush. Even the tips of his ears were red—could Sheikah _do _that? Link could, but he was Hylian. And Sheik's ears were long, but not _that_ long.

"I—"

"C'mon, painkiller whore. There's drama about to unfold, and Link's not gonna be able to handle it by himself."

"Stop calling me that." Sheik snapped, standing.

"Let me break your leg and we'll take." She countered, floating after him.

"Stabbing. No breaking. Get a knife, not a hammer, and _then_ we'll take."

She followed him out, her grin so wide it damn near split her face in half.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sheik caught Link before he got downstairs and demanded a bath.

And for the second time felt his face burn when Link said Midna had already cleaned him up. Which Link didn't catch, because apparently she did the same to him when he passed out from blood loss and pain and he didn't think it was strange.

Fucking weird-ass Hylians.

Sheik didn't care, though, and so Link found himself sitting sullenly at the base of the path leading up to the bathing spring, to keep anyone from coming up.

After what they'd just done, there was no way in Hyrule Sheik was going to let Link up there with him.

The dead might have been nice, but Sheik could still feel blobs of Dead Hand decay on him, not to mention whatever other nasty stuff he'd managed to get on him during their trek through the Ninth.

He scrubbed until he was raw, and then some. And then some more, because _ew._

Being squeamish wasn't the best trait for a Sheikah.

It took longer than it would have because of his wound, but he managed to finish and get dressed without anything serious happening in regards to his injury, besides the pain that went with moving.

He made it down the path and to Link before any of the drama Midna had warned him about happened, but his luck didn't hold out any longer than that.

He hadn't had time to brush his hair or braid it, and so he tied it back into a ponytail with a stray bandage he'd managed to pocket from the infirmary. He was still wearing Link's clothes, which made him decidedly uncomfortable. It was too loose—he felt damn near naked.

"You should wear your hair like this more often." Link said, eyeing him. Sheik glared at him.

"Shut the fuck up." Something in his tone must have made itself abundantly clear, because Link snapped his mouth shut and didn't say another word as he followed Sheik onto Kakariko's main road.

They'd opened a whole fucking _can_ of worms and Sheik wasn't at all happy about _any_ of it. Link seemed all aboard the shit, which just made it worse. Sheik wanted nothing to do with any of it—well, now that he could fucking _think straight_ he didn't.

But he hadn't been lying to Midna. He'd known Link would make the pain go away and that was all he could focus on because he'd known it would break him in ways that couldn't be fixed. And it horrified him to no end because holy _fuck_, if his people weren't going to kill Link before, they sure as fuck were _now._

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing here?"

Sheik turned, letting out a breath of relief. Thank _Lanayru_, a distraction from their issues.

Shad was storming towards them, looking all but ready to kill. Link moved to step forward and Sheik caught him with a hand to the chest.

"Go inside. Sleep. Bathe. Something. Don't argue with me." Link looked ready to, and he hesitated very visibly, but he did listen. Another sigh of relief escaped Sheik and _dammit, _why did Link have to fucking complicate things?

At least he was _listening_, for once. Although that, again, led back to what they'd done.

Which again brought another entirely unwelcome thought—that, fuck, if kissing him was all it took to make him so fucking submissive, then Sheik would have done that a fuck of a lot sooner had he known.

He fucking hated his own head.

"Hello, Shad."

It took a moment for Sheik to remember why Shad was so angry with him, but he chose not to mention that.

"You fucking—_Auru is in jail because of you!"_ Shad stopped himself not even an inch from Sheik, very clearly holding himself back from punching him. Thank Lanayru Link had left—he'd have torn Shad's throat out if he hadn't.

"No, Auru is in jail because he threatened the safety of the Zora Prince and tried to murder me." And _damn_, showing so much attitude was most definitely not a smart idea, but he couldn't help himself. Shad's eyes flashed in fury.

"Auru would never—!"

"The reality is that Auru _did_. The son of a bitch played with fire and was lucky he only got singed."

Sheik wasn't going to just walk off. Shad had information they needed, and while he posed a larger danger than his friends in Castle Town, Sheik was fed up with trying to be diplomatic.

Look how that had fucking worked with Link. They were in _the worst possible scenario_, besides one or both or all of them—because he really had to stop underestimating Midna, the sadistic little bitch—being dead.

"You don't know what happened up there, besides I was there and Auru was charged and tried by the Zora. Drawing a weapon in the presence of their ruler is a punishment usually met with _death_. Because of his actions he nearly died—not once, but _twice_. I'm sure he's being treated like shit in the Domain, but until the Princess or Queen or whatever the fuck you call Zelda is free, they can't transfer him to a Hylian prison. Be glad they'll keep him alive."

Sheik swayed to the side when Shad's fist shot through the air by his ear, clumsy and off-balance. Shad's punch threw his body forward and he crashed into Sheik, sending them both onto the ground.

Sheik hissed in agony when his shoulder exploded in pain, but twisted out from beneath Shad without much trouble.

"Sloppy. I see why Ashei makes you stick to your books."

"How _dare _you—"

"We stopped by Castle Town a few days ago. Well, maybe a few days ago. I don't know how long I was out for. We…well, your friends gave us lodging and food for a few nights, even after this. They showed better judgment than you. I suggest you get all the facts, scholar, before you start swinging again." He sounded so _nice._ He hated keeping his tone so fucking even. He had no patience any more, and while he was furiously blaming Link for everything, he knew full well that not all of it was the Hylian's fault.

But, fuck. If he started blaming Shad, he was going to kill him.

"He _raised_ me." It was spoken hoarsely, harshly.

He looked pathetic, sitting there in the dirt with a smear of dust on his cheek and the sudden _lost_ expression on his face.

Sheik took no small amount of joy in the fact that he didn't give a shit. He'd almost feared Link had made him soft, but, nope. Only Link could look like that and make him feel guilty. Or pissed.

"He's alive. Safer where he is now than out and about, that's for fucking sure." Sheik stood as he spoke, raking a hand through his hair.

Shad blinked, and the stupid look was gone. He pushed himself up too, jaw set.

"I want to know what happened. Now."

"Link had some explosives. Found a blocked off tunnel. Decided to clear the rubble. Happened to be in an area Ralis liked swimming in, and caused a pretty strong current. I dove in after Ralis, and we got swept away. When I woke up we were on the shores of Lake Hylia, and Auru had scared the shit out of Ralis. He thought I was going to kill Link. I told him I wasn't, he continued making threats, I made Ralis leave, and he happened to attack. Pissed off something lying in wait and it managed to knock him out. I don't know if he fell and hit his head or what." Shad was quiet for a moment, silent and gaze locked on the ground. Then he nodded his head, just slightly, and spoke.

"And?"

"Link showed up, and then Ralis came back with some guards he'd managed to find. They took Auru straight to the Domain from there." Another small nod. Then Shad's head snapped up as he took a small step forward, eyes narrow.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Zora hate outsiders. Why are they being so protective over you?"

Sheik stared at him steadily, expression blank as he filtered through what he could say.

"They don't hate outsiders. They hate Hylians. After what you've done to them, they have every reason to. Link saved them—he's an exception. I was with him, he made it clear he trusted me, I'd saved their Prince's life, and the kid seems to like me, for whatever stupid-ass reason. Not to mention Auru had _threatened Ralis's safety._"

"That still doesn't add up."

Fine. Sheik pulled his last card.

It wasn't the smartest decision, but he was still exhausted and tired and his head was beginning to throb.

"…You don't know?"

"Know what?" Shad snapped, suddenly very much on edge.

"Ralis is half-blooded. His father wasn't Zora."

And Shad's eyes widened, his protests dying.

Sheik turned and walked back inside the hotel. He still needed information from Shad, but he'd leave that up to Link.

After all, the Hero had to do some work too.

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"…We found Kakariko."

"Old Kakariko, yeah."

"…And…there were….you were looking through my eyes." Well, Sheik most definitely didn't sound happy about that. Again.

"Yeah. And you slapped me. And I said I was sorry. _Then_ we entered Old Kakariko." Link said carefully, glancing at Sheik as he rummaged though his bag. Sheik kept his head down, eyes glued on the floor. His elbows were propped on his knees, but his hands were flexing in some random pattern Link had never seen before, and he watched with half a curious eye.

"…There were…the monsters. That…they shouldn't have been there. Wards would have kept them out, whether we were dead or not. How did they get in?"

"…I don't think you're going to like it." Link said softly. Sheik was on his feet immediately, one hand raking through his hair and the other jerking up in the air, angry and helpless.

"Am I going to even remember if you tell me? My head is a fucking mess and I can _barely_ remember anything that we're talking about now. Is this going to go out one ear as soon as you tell me? I can't—fucking—I hate this!"

Link shifted uncomfortably, watching Sheik pace.

Things had changed so radically so fast, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing. He hated seeing Sheik so upset, and he wanted to—he didn't know, hug him or _something—_but Sheik wouldn't let him, and trying would only cause issues.

"I…You can't remember anything because Beth was in your head when I was. We panicked, and I forgot about her, and she forgot about me, and we told you to run. You were a mess before then, but not that big of a mess. That—that's what's keeping you from remembering." Link said slowly, closing the bag and sitting down on the bed.

Sheik whirled on him immediately, eyes hard as metal.

"You did _what?"_

"Before you freak out—sit." Link grabbed his wrist and tugged him down beside him, ignoring the shot of anger that sparked from Sheik's mind.

"There was somebody there. And you stayed outside and I went to talk to her."

Sheik went still as stone.

"She...I think she let the monsters in. She was—shit, tell me when you need me to shut up. But she was a Sheikah, just really old, and she uh…said she'd been waiting for me for a long time. Said that there was an evil beyond Zant—'cept she didn't know Zant's name, just said the shadow—in Hyrule, and asked if I'd heard of the Sheikah."

Sheik's hand landed on his knee, grip so tight it would probably leave bruises behind later. Link's heart damn near leapt out of his chest, and he was very fucking grateful he wasn't talking because he didn't want Sheik to know.

Though he probably did. The whole head-thing sorta made privacy nonexistent.

"You're telling me there—"

"No, look, there's more. You're gonna want to hear it before you talk."

Sheik did not look at all happy.

"She…I think…uh, she said the Sheikah were evil and that they had been destroyed once, saving Hyrule, and I had to finish the job. And I kinda didn't go along with it and told her to fuck off, that I knew who the Sheikah were and they weren't psychos. And she got pissed off at me, but you walked in. She—"

Sheik's mouth was on his, so suddenly Link couldn't help but making a small noise of shock, surprise. Sheik took advantage of that, kissed him so deeply and so hard Link saw stars. Link's hands rose, one arm pulling Sheik closer as the other touched his cheek.

"Hey! Dammit, I'm _still here!"_

Sheik was not wearing a shirt. He'd been binding his bandages up before he'd begun asking Link about what had happened, though, and Link started tugging at his bandages immediately, unwinding them as quickly as he could.

Sheik's hand grabbed his chin, jerking his head up as he pulled back a fraction. Link's tugging stopped a moment, fingers stilling against Sheik's back.

"I hate you." Sheik growled. He pulled Sheik hard against him, falling on his side and rolling over, pushing Sheik under him.

"Can't—not—can't talk, shut up." Link huffed, finally giving up on the bandages and reaching down Sheik's thigh. Sheik let out a cry of shock, hand falling from Link's throat.

He kissed Sheik hard, unable to hide the smile on his lips, as Sheik's hands trailed down his torso.

It took a great deal of fumbling, not all of which was accidental, to free Sheik's blade. Link damn near forgot what he was doing, until he actually had the thing in his hand. He pressed it flat, so it wouldn't cut Sheik, against his side and pushed it beneath his bandages—

And then Sheik's hand was on his, and he slipped free of him easy as fuck, standing somewhat unsteadily.

"Sheik—"

"No, no—I'm—no, don't. I'm good."

Link cursed, long and loud as he buried his face in his hands, rolling against the wall and away from Sheik. The blade lay abandoned on the bed between them.

"I fucking—dammit, Sheik, I can't—"

There was a hand on his hip almost immediately, warm breath against his ear. A shiver rolled down his spine, slow and hot.

"This is your mess, mutt, and you'll take care of it whether you want to or not." Sheik's voice was soft, deadly, even more so as his thumb ran along Link's hip bone.

It took every ounce of control he had to not turn around and grab Sheik, to kiss him until he shut the fuck up and stopped complaining.

There was a long moment of silence after Sheik pulled away, during which Midna huffed angrily—and Link realized with no small degree of horror that she'd seen everything.

"So I came in. And what then?" He took a small amount of satisfaction in the fact that Sheik's voice was unsteady, raspy. He had enough intelligence to stay away, though, and Link glared at the wood in front of his face as if he could burn a hole through the boards for a long minute before responding.

"She knew you."

Sheik didn't hit him _hard_, but it still shocked him out of his funk. Mostly. He let out a whine and pushed himself up, but any other complaint died on his tongue when he met Sheik's fiery orbs.

"She—she knew me? Who was she?" The urgency in Sheik's eyes, in his voice—Link frowned, agitated. He had no idea how much of this Sheik could handle, when Sheik's hands were already fisted around the blanket so tightly his knuckles where white.

"…She—Sheik, she was going to kill me. Before you walked in. She was lying about the Sheikah and said she wanted me to stop them—rid Hyrule of them—and I—I don't….Just…Just listen, okay?"

Anger flashed in Sheik's mind, and his mouth pressed into a thin line.

"You're my concern, Sheik. If it's gonna hurt you, I'm going to stop talking. So…take it easy. We've got time."

"Not when I hear what you have to say. That's why you're stalling."

"Obviously."

"Go away, Midna." Link groaned. She propped her hands on her hips and glared at him, Zelda flashing behind her eyes.

"Start talking, mutt." Sheik ordered, jabbing him in the side with his elbow. That drew a grunt from both of them—Sheik had used his bad arm.

"Useless." Midna huffed, shaking her head as she disappeared.

"…So let me get this straight, first. There was a Sheikah there. And she wanted you to finish us off."

"And I told her to fuck off because I knew a Sheikah."

"And she was going to kill you."

Link nodded, and Sheik stayed quiet for a long time.

"Ilia was taken on purpose, then." Sheik finally said and Link's head snapped around to face him, body tense.

"_What?"_

"…The Ninth is a…it's like the Seventh. A Distortion. If there was a Sheikah there powerful enough to manipulate the bindings—this would make sense. Somebody's been destroying the wards on the Ninth. So if there was a Sheikah there, plotting to finish the job, she would have waited for you for…ages. And when Zant struck, she would have moved independently. She couldn't let Zant kill everyone—she would die too. You wouldn't find her unless she set you on that path, so she ensured you'd come to Kakariko, and stole Ilia's memories to hold something over you. If you never met me, Link, she could very easily mess with your head. Bind you to her, if she could, and you'd be her lapdog."

"Sheik—" Sheik shook his head, cutting Link off, and swallowed, looking ill.

"So she…that's why I don't remember anything. Not you two in my head alone, but she was…she was my mother."

"Sheik—"

"Go."

Link didn't move, and touched his shoulder gently, concerned. Sheik shrugged away from him, eyes flashing angrily.

"_Now."_

There was something final in Sheik's voice, in his ruby orbs, in his mind.

Link did as he asked.

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Colin glanced over his shoulder at Link, and Link forced a smile. That seemed to relax the boy, if only a little, and Colin tugged open the door to Renado's home. Link caught it and held it open for the two of them.

Renado was with Luda and Ilia gathering herbs or something—thank the Three. Link wasn't prepared to have the 'talk' he'd promised, not now. He was exhausted and hungry and so was Sheik and Sheik was upset—but he had to get shit done before they got kicked out of Kakariko for good.

Because they would. Midna had said to get prepared for it, and she knew more than Nayru herself. So it was going to happen.

So Link had lined his priorities up. Talk to Shad, eat, sleep, and then talk to Ilia—and keep Sheik resting the entire time. After he'd eaten, of course.

Link hadn't had a chance to tell Sheik, but the old woman had given him some things before she'd said she was gonna kill him.

Something of Ilia's, to restore her memory, and a small, old brown book to help him on his quest. Said they were a gift of good faith, before he'd gone and blown that out of the water.

Shad knew all about the sky. One of the Mirror shards was up there, so he was the one to ask. And the book the woman had given him—the Traitor—looked _ancient_, covered in words Link couldn't understand. Hopefully Shad could make sense of it.

Colin led him into the basement, and Link looked around curiously. It wasn't as messy as the last time he'd been there, and when they emerged into the main room, the changes were clear.

There was a rickety table set up against the far wall, covered in paper and books. The floor had been swept free of most of the debris that had previously covered it, and the owl statue in the wall had been meticulously cleaned. Lanterns hung from the wall, and two crates rested within the basement, one by the statue and the other by the table. Shad was standing over the table, looking frustrated as he flipped aimlessly through a book.

"Thanks, Colin." Link said quietly, alerting Shad to his presence. Colin nodded and left, though Link didn't miss the look Colin gave him.

Colin didn't understand him anymore. And it killed the kid. It killed Link, too. Colin was his little brother in every sense of the word but blood.

When this was over, before they left Hyrule, Link hoped he got the chance to set things straight.

"What do you want?" Shad's voice was curt, cold.

"Sheik talked to you earlier, didn't he?"

"And?" Link let out a slow breath, walking over to Shad and leaning against the wall beside him.

"So, he's in really bad shape. I just want to let you know that if you get pissed or want to fight him or whatever—I will stop you. Sheik didn't hurt anybody. If I'd been there sooner, I would have. That's how out of line Auru was." He kept his tone even, if hard.

"You're full of shit, Link." Shad snapped, pushing away from the table and turning to glare at him.

"Ever since Sheik came up you're full of shit. You keep doing all this shit and not giving us any explanation—I'm _sick_ of dire warnings and threats. We _all_ are. You're trusting a fucking _stranger_ over your _friends_! Over your _family! _And he's given nothing—"

"You get we're in a war, Shad? That he's _fighting _for us? He's—" Link demanded harshly, pushing off the wall.

"No, do _you _get it?! People have died, Link! People are still dying! And running off with—"

"I've done _nothing_ but try to save everybody for _over a fucking year!_ I know what this is doing to Hyrule and us more than any of you!" Link shouted back, fury pulsating so hotly his mind was slipping. Not his body, thank Farore. Sheik had an iron-hard grasp on the shadow crystal—that wasn't slipping anytime soon.

"Like _fuck_ you do!" Shad snarled, slamming his hands into Link's chest. His back hit the earthen wall behind him, and his vision went pure red for half an instant.

"You don't know what the _fuck_ you're talking about. Have you seen Hyrule in Twilight? Seen kids screaming in terror, _frozen_ in the moment they watched their friends and family get torn down and _ripped a-fucking-part_ by monsters they've never seen before? Seen soldiers screaming, staring right into the eyes of the monster waiting for me to save them so it can _kill them?_ Ran right up to people you know and love and tried _so fucking hard_ to get them to hear you even though they can't?! Been chased the fuck down by family because _they only see a monster when they look at you?_ Have you seen Ralis' mother begging you to find her kid, save her people, because she was _murdered _in front of _all of them_ and can't do _shit_ but watch people ignore her son dying on the side of the fucking road and her people waste away in a frozen wasteland? Have you watched people you care about being ripped from their homes and seen them as they watched loved ones be taken? Watched your fucking _brains_ lying on the floor because you got sloppy when you were fighting and something got the better of you? Seen good people try to protect their families and watch that _son of a bitch_ fuck them over and turn them into the _very things_ that murder them in cold blood—and then had to stick a blade through their gut over and over again to stop them? Woken up _screaming_ because you don't know where your loved ones are of if they're even _alive?_ Heard a Light Spirit fucking _roaring_ in pain because Hyrule is _dying_ and seen your guts and seen your bone sticking out of your flesh? Fought until you can't move and kept fighting because if you pass out everyone will fall, not just you? Because I have, you _bastard_. I've seen _everything_ and _more_ and I can't fucking—you _son of a bitch_, don't you _dare_ tell me you know what's happening to Hyrule better than I do. Don't you _dare_ tell me I'm _wasting time_ and killing _more_ people. Don't you fucking _dare._"

Shad was frozen, stiff with shock and eyes wide. Link had gotten closer as he's spoken, and they'd moved across the room until Shad's back had hit the opposite wall.

But Link wasn't done yet—he was far too pissed for that.

"And to fucking blame _Sheik_ for that? To blame it on _him_? You—you better fucking learn, Shad, because the next person to do that—I can't—I'm fucking _sick _of it. He's risking his _life_ for you bastards and all you do is talk shit and think he's fucking _evil?_" Link's voice cracked, and he felt the backs of his eyes stinging harshly. He turned away sharply, moved to the other side of the room, and sank down to the ground.

"You're...fuck. I came down here to ask for your help. I can't even…" His laughter was bitter, dry.

"I hate you all, sometimes. You trusted me when I showed up. I expected all of you to show Sheik the same courtesy." The anger was gone from his voice, and Link squeezed his eyes shut, raking a hand through his hair as he tilted his head back against the wall.

"Things changed. Link, you have the Master Sword now." Shad's voice was very quiet.

"Fat lot of fucking good that does me, if it pisses all of you off."

"You don't get it, do you? You show up ready to help—that's one thing. But you show up again with the Master Sword and a hostile stranger? Link, that means you're the Hero. That means what's going on in Hyrule is bigger than a bunch of people in a bar theorizing. That means there are lives at stake—that the whole of fucking Hyrule is at stake. That means _your life_ is the most important thing in Hyrule, that we have to protect _you_ above all else, or _everyone_ dies. You think the enemy isn't above sending an agent after you?"

Link's laughter cut anything else Shad was going to add off.

"You think _Zant?_ No, no, that's—ha, no. He couldn't give two shits about me. Midna's his concern, and maybe Zelda. For fuck's sake, he'd be more focused on catching Sheik than he would me, if he was sane enough to do that. He thinks I'm Midna's mutt."

Shad sank down beside him slowly.

"So—the cause of this is…this Zant?" Link opened his eyes, realizing what he'd said—but there was nothing else he could do. Ashei would tell Shad about Midna, of that he had no doubt. Better now than later, he guessed.

"Yeah. I suppose. He…uh, well…so, there's another realm next to ours. Midna lives there. And Zant—so you know how Zelda has a council and all that jazz? Zant was like, Midna's advisor or something. They were engaged. And then he overthrew her, cursed her, threw her into this realm, and invaded. So I'm kind of excited for when they get to have a showdown because Midna is going to tear him limb from limb and I want to see that. Uh, 'cause Midna was the Queen. Is the Queen. Zant's crazy, insane and all that. Just…so you know. And he told Zelda she had a choice—kill everyone in Hyrule, or turn everything into Twilight. That's why the Palace is off limits. Zant's up in there, with Zelda. Or, her body, anyway."

"_What?! _Princess Zelda is—"

"No, she's alive. She's with Midna. Just not in her body. I'd introduce you to Midna, but I told her to stay with Sheik 'cause he's mad at me and I don't want him to be alone." Shad didn't respond immediately, and they lapsed into a silence. Not the uncomfortable kind, but heavy nonetheless.

"…Colin said he was covered in blood when you brought him here."

"…Yeah. Got…ha, well, fuck. I can't even...so much shit has gone down. It wasn't his shoulder that was the problem. His mind's…I just…" The stinging returned, but this time Link couldn't keep the tears at bay. He slumped over, resting his head in his arms.

"I don't know what I'd have done if he'd have stayed broken. I can't…I can't lose him, Shad, and...Midna's gonna leave, and I can't…I can't handle…"

A cold thread of shock ran down his spine, and he sat up slowly. The tears ceased, and he let out a slow, shaky breath.

"Link? Are you okay?"

Nayru had said—she'd said that Sheik had saved him. And he hadn't understood what that meant, then. But—if—

"Holy shit." He breathed, shock rippling through him.

"Link?" Shad asked, warily, looking concerned.

"Shad—fuck, can you do me a favor? Find out what you can about this book? I've gotta—holy _shit_, I'm so fucking _stupid—"_

Nayru had told him Sheik had saved him. That he'd have died, alone with Midna. Because Midna would _leave_, when this was over with, when Zant was dead. Sheik _wouldn't_—or, at least, not without Link.

Because before Sheik, losing Midna _would_ have killed him.

"Yeah, sure, but what the fuck—"

"Thanks!" And Link was scrambling out of the basement as fast as he could, leaving the book in Shad's care.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sheik was sprawled out on the bed, facedown, when Link burst into the room and tackled him.

Not the most comfortable of positions, especially when a fat ass Hylian decided to pounce on him.

"I fucking—I figured it out, Sheik!"

"Figured _what_ out?" Sheik snarled, huffing the words out as he tried to keep breathing. Link slipped his arms under Sheik's stomach, pulling him tight against him as he buried his head in Sheik's shoulder.

At least he had the sense to pick the one without a gaping wound.

"Nayru! She said that when you showed up you saved me and I thought she was nuts, but she wasn't kidding!" Link's voice was muffled and his words were rushed, almost frantic. Sheik shrugged, trying to get him to move, but Link only held him tighter.

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember? In the desert?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sheik snapped, pushing Link off of him and growling irritably when Link whined in protest. The thought of Link speaking to Lanaryu—oh by the Three, _that_ made him uncomfortable. More uncomfortable than Link touching him. Which said a _lot._

"I figured it out!"

"I'm not asking again."

"What Nayru meant. Sheik, you're—"

Link fell onto him again, hugging him as tightly as he could without jostling Sheik's wound. That startled him, shocked him so much that didn't even tell the overly-affectionate asshole to get off of him.

Link didn't say anything for a moment, just let out a very heavy sigh. Content. Sheik lifted a hand, hesitantly, and rested it atop Link's head. As long as the idiot wasn't trying to stick his tongue down his throat, Sheik was fine.

"'Love you." For a moment, Sheik didn't realize what Link had said.

Then it registered.

"Oh like _fuck_ you do. Get the fuck _off_ of me—Lanayru fucking—_get out_!"

He could feel Link's smile in his mind, wicked as it was, but the kiss caught him off guard—one moment Link's head was on his shoulder and the next—

Well.

Link was out the door before Sheik could recover, closing it with a laugh.

"I hate him so much." Sheik hissed, throwing a blade at the door. It bounced off harmlessly, to his horror. His blades were _very_ dull.

"He's a mutt."

"That doesn't excuse his behavior." Sheik snapped, glaring up at Midna.

"He gets…affectionate." She said slowly, shrugging.

"He needs to stop."

"Y'know, I was as opposed to it as you at first. But he just doesn't stop. You get used to it."

"I don't care."

"He'd do a lot of shit for you, Sheik, but this isn't gonna be one of them."

And _that_ helped _tremendously._ She smirked at him, amused as he glared.

"So seeing as how you're sulking and not doing anything productive anymore, you can sort through Link's shit. It's getting way too cramped in there."

"Midna, it's a shadow."

"You try hiding in there, and _then_ you can lecture me." She retorted, snapping her fingers. The floor was immediately covered in sparks of Twilit magic, and Sheik rolled his eyes as she vanished, all of their things appearing in her place.

They had a lot, though. And picking through it would probably keep him occupied, stop him from trying so hard to think back, to remember.

It hurt, _so much._

Not how fragile he was, not how easily he was breaking, though that hurt as well. But that she was still alive, still _there—_his _mother—_and the Ninth—the _monsters—_Link.

He'd taken so much solace in the fact his blood parents were dead. And his father wasn't—technically.

And neither was his mother, as it turned out. And that _killed_, because after _everything_—_everything_ he was doing—any Sheikah he found would kill him outright. Because they were both still alive, and he was their son.

Veran had always told him that Hylians were the only ones to sink so low as torture. That it was beneath Sheikah. They'd suffered enough of it to know it was something unthinkable, that t stoop that low meant one was no better than a Hylian. Maybe it was beneath others. But Sheik would make the Traitor regret ever drawing breath—ever giving birth to him. And damn it if he wasn't looking forward to that.

He slid off of the bed with a sigh, hooking his fingers through the straps of one of Link's bag. It was far heavier than it should have been.

Not that that surprised him. Link had a tendency to collect things, and it had been a while since he'd last gone through Link's shit.

Though, upon opening the bag, he most definitely wasn't expecting to find as much sand in it as he did. What had to be an entire dune dumped out onto his lap, spilling across the floor and bleeding through the cracks in the wood.

They should have taken a room on the first floor.

"The fuck? Midna, this shit was in his _shadow._ How in Lanayru's name did this much get into—"

She wasn't answering him. Or materializing, for that matter.

That sparked his irritation. And discomfort. Scorpions were a very large possibility. If Link could get sand in his shadow…

Did Sheik have any in his? Was one supposed to _wash_ their shadow? Maybe it was a Hylian thing. Veran would have told him if it was something Sheik needed to worry about.

Sheik stood up, brushing as much sand off of himself as he could, and then forced the window open. It had been nailed shut at one point, and though the nails had been removed—none too gently, if the chips missing from the window frame were any indication—it didn't want to open. Sheik almost broke the window before the thing slammed open—and it was a pain in the ass to sweep as much sand as he could out the window.

No scorpions though, which was a good thing.

He was distracting himself still, and his thoughts kept returning to that—the fact he was avoiding the issues at hand. A slow sigh escaped him, and he grabbed the next satchel.

He let the work calm his mind, busied himself with it so intensely that when he reached for another bag and encountered nothing but air, it shocked him.

The door opened behind him, and he snapped out of it.

"For the last time you fucking _asshole_, I'm not going to drop dead so get the fuck _out—" _He stopped cold.

Link wasn't standing in the doorway. The girl was—Ilia.

_Shit._

"You're not Link." Sheik finally said, dumbly. She reddened, and nodded hesitantly.

"I—I'm sorry if I'm—"

"No, no, thank fucking _Lanayru."_ Sheik sighed, tossing Link's bag onto the floor and dropping onto the bed.

"…I…um, I was wondering if you had a moment?"

"As long as you're not Link."

She sat down carefully on the bed beside him, gingerly. Sheik studied the ceiling, though he watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye.

He didn't trust her, but he didn't mind her presence. At least _she _wasn't trying to stick her tongue down his throat.

Fucking Hylians.

"…Link said he found something that…could restore my memories." She began, after a long silence.

Oh.

_Oh._

Sheik pushed himself up slowly, letting out a low hum.

"You get it, then?"

"Get what?" She asked, eyes widening as she looked at him.

"That you'll die?"

He realized as soon as the words left his mouth that they were the wrong thing to say.

"Shit—sorry—I didn't mean it like—_fuck_, Link's gonna fucking kill me. I didn't mean like, it'll—fucking Lanayru. I'm sorry." He tried to articulate his apology as best he could, scrambling upright.

"What—why would you say that, then!?" She demanded, hands fluttering over her mouth in horror. Sheik winced.

"I meant—ah, fucking Hylians. _You_, as you are now, will not be the same when you remember. The experiences that have shaped you thus far—gone. The other you won't be the same either. So…you need to consider this carefully before you do anything rash."

"…You make it sound so final." She whispered, fingers knotting in her lap. Sheik blinked slowly.

He _was_ being very confrontational about it. He had no fucking idea why, but…well. For whatever reason, the issue hit home.

If he hadn't been raised as he had, if the things he'd survived hadn't happened…

Dear Lanayru. He didn't even want to think about how fucked up he'd be. Or…_not_ fucked up. Either option unsettled him.

"…You can't undo it. Isn't that the definition of final?" That drew his thoughts to Link's dumbass decision—and he visibly flinched. It was hard trying _not_ to think of things, but he wasn't willing to see Link at that moment. That could wait.

"You…um, do you know from experience?"

He snorted.

"No." Trauma made him remember things more clearly. Besides the current problem, in any case.

"…Is…traveling with the H—…with Link… hard?" His eyes narrowed. It was a different question than he'd been expecting—it didn't match her previous line of questioning.

"Why?"

"There's something wrong with him." Ilia's voice didn't stutter this time, and she glanced at him quickly, gaze holding his.

"What do you mean?" Sheik asked slowly, a slow chill working its way down his spine.

"Doesn't—can't you feel it? Whenever he comes here, it's like he's…like he's not even Hylian. I understand that he expects things from me—that he knew me or whatever—but…" She hesitated a moment, looking down into her lap.

"His eyes are…he's not…He volunteered to take us to Kakariko, to get Ralis to a healer. But on the way here we were attacked and—he—….I've never seen someone so cold before. He killed all of them—the monsters. And…even when he's with the children, his _eyes_…" She broke off, hunching into herself.

"…You realize that those monsters were trying to kill people he cared—_cares—_very deeply about? He would die to protect you, or the brats. If he has to spill blood to do that, so be it. He's not a danger to any of you."

"Would _you?"_ That drew a laugh from him before he knew it.

"Would I kill them? Eventually. Anyone stupid enough to harm _my_ family would suffer for it first, though."

She studied him for a moment, and Sheik stretched his arms above his head, before he realized what he'd said. And his face paled.

Had he just called Link _family?_

Well. He just couldn't stop digging his hole even deeper. The Sheikah _might_ have tried to kill him for being bound to Link. Just that alone. No relationship, no fucking, no parents still alive, nothing else.

He'd be lucky if he got three words out before they gutted him.

"Is that why you're traveling with him?"

"What? Because of my family?" She nodded.

"I'm traveling with him to make sure he doesn't get himself killed. If he dies everything in Hyrule goes with him." It was said stiffly. Sheik wasn't offended, but he wished things were as simple as his response.

"You're very brave." A smile twitched across his lips, and their gazes met.

"Not so much brave as stupid."

"To save Ralis like you did, though, and to protect the Hero. So few would do something like that."

And then she was leaning forward.

He blamed Link for his lack of reaction. Link would kill him, resurrect him, and then kill him again if he hit her, so his _normal_ reaction was out of the picture. By the time that train of thought had finished, her lips were already pressing against his.

He froze—what the _fuck_ was he supposed to do?!

Before he could pull away, the door swung open. Ilia pulled away quickly, as if burned.

Link stood there, one hand on the doorframe and another on the doorknob. Sheik could feel the grin in his mind, almost as wide as the Dead Hand's had been.

"Whatcha doing?" He asked slowly, eyes glittering.

Ilia fled, ducking past his arm, before Sheik could say anything.

"I don't—what the _fuck_ is wrong with you Hylians?!"

"So you don't like _me_ touching you but you're fine with_—"_

Sheik threw the closest object at Link.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**_Whaaaat?_****Lol no, don't worry, it's plot.**

**And, by the way, SHAME! I had such a huge ass plot thing in the other chapter and NOBODY CAUGHT IT. *sigh*Chapters are too long, that's why. And I'm so not helping matters LOL. This chapter actually got split in half. Kinda figured a chapter the size of two Withhelds wasn't a good thing. So…:D I promise I'm trying to update How to Live. Hopefully sometime in August you'll get a new chapter. Um, A Route's gonna start moving fast. So, yay :D**

**In other news: Skybridged Sword is up on Youtube now! At https(:)(/)(/)youtube DOT watch(?)v(=)****jXlOIWGL894**

**Just get rid of the parenthesis and spaces and you'll be fine!**


	21. Shadow Planning

"—No way that that's correct!"

"It's not ancient Hylian, dumbass!"

"_You're_ the one reading it as ancient Hylian!"

Link hadn't realized that arguing relaxed Sheik, and he hadn't realized how much Sheik missed _that_, until he and Shad were slamming books and fists into rickety wood and shouting so loudly that even the Gorons up in Death Mountain could hear them.

A smile twitched across his lips, and without so much as thinking Sheik's hand smacked the back of his head.

As long as Ilia wasn't present, Link was fine. He'd been amused about her actions—he would _not_ pass up a chance to tease Sheik—until Sheik had started complaining about how mousy she was, when Link realized they'd been having a long conversation before she tried anything.

_Then _he'd been furious.

At least Sheik had gotten it, to some degree. He'd grilled Link long and hard about what had happened in Old Kakariko, until he was almost in tears. And what had happened after—well, Sheik had his cowl back on and firmly pulled up for a reason. But it had calmed Link down.

He'd still be beyond rage if Ilia so much as _looked_ wrong at Sheik. But the interaction going on around him—the needless arguing, the plate of food lying untouched until he reminded Sheik to eat, the lack of tension…

He almost felt like the whole mess was beyond them.

"No, you _stupid ass Hylian_, I've seen these glyphs before _mixed _with—"

The sudden silence that descended made Link crack an eye open, concerned.

Both boys were staring at each other, absolutely silent, still as stone.

"You've…seen these…" Shad began, trailing off after a heartbeat.

Sheik turned slowly, and Link's blood ran cold.

He didn't know what he'd done this time, but he was _so_ dead.

"Where's the Dominion Rod?"

"The thing you told me not to break and I said I wouldn't and—"

"You _broke it?!"_

"N—No! I just—I didn't remember if it was the same thing!" Link scrambled for his bag as he spoke, trying to find it before Sheik advanced any closer. He looked ready to kill.

He sifted through the contents of his bag for a few minutes before finally finding it. Sheik snatched it out of his hands before he could give it to them.

Not even five minutes later, after Link had retreated into a far corner to avoid detection, Sheik shouted for him.

"….Yeah?"

"That bird thing, in the Seventh—you knew what it was."

Link leaned against Sheik's side, peering over his shoulder at the book he'd gotten in Old Kakariko. He couldn't make heads or tails of the scribbles within, but there _was_ a picture that looked quite a bit like Ooccoo.

"…Yeah. Ooccoo. She…it…I dunno. She was searching for something in places the Fused Shadow was hidden in, but she never found it. But probably because you were with me in the Temple of Time, I didn't see her again."

"And the rod lost its power, as well…" Sheik murmured, shifting the object between his fingers as his brow creased.

"Did you say _Ooccoo?_" Shad interjected, eyes wide.

"Why?" Link asked slowly, looking up at him.

"The Oocca—it's…my father studied them. An ancient race of Sky Beings, he said, and thought they bore a connection to us. They left artifacts scattered across Hyrule—if that's right, then…" Shad snatched the old book up and carried it across the basement, to the alcove with the statue in it.

"I thought this might be one of them—their artifacts. It's not made of any sort of stone I've seen before, and it's _old…_far older than Renado's home."

"And?" Sheik asked, stepping away from Link and following him.

"They're magic! Can't you feel it?"

"No…." Link drew in a deep breath, about to continue, but Sheik's hand struck his shoulder.

"Shut up."

"But—"

"Don't make me say it again."

Link wasn't upset by Sheik's behavior. He was needling Sheik on purpose, teasing him. Shad seemed to expect a fight—

And maybe they would have.

Link was getting caught by thoughts like that more often than he cared to admit. He felt like he'd aged a thousand years since he'd met Sheik, since Sheik had stopped….well, not hating him, but…distrusting him. Not that he trusted him totally now.

He felt _old._

"I can't either—but…maybe your magic is more similar to theirs? Can you poke at it?"

"Um…well, maybe if I read the runes? But…I don't know if I'll pronounce them right."

"Go ahead! I'll keep Sheik—"

"I will fucking end you, Hylian."

"—From bothering you!"

He knew it was part of the Beast in him, the part of him that was irritated with Sheik's constant censoring, that kept with the needling.

He didn't want Ilia, or anyone else, thinking they could touch him. And Link felt bad about that, a little—he knew it wasn't an ideal situation and that Sheik would kill him if he told him, but…he couldn't help it.

Sheik was _his_, damn it. And he wanted _everyone_ to know that.

Shad eyed them oddly, muttered a thanks, and turned his full attention to the book. Sheik's fingers dug painfully into his shoulder, and Link leaned back against him.

After a moment, Shad started spouting out gibberish. Link tuned him out, closed his eyes, listened to Sheik's breathing.

A hum caught his attention, and his eyes snapped open in time to see Sheik pick up a glowing Dominion Rod, as Shad's chanting came to an end.

"…Nothing—"

"Thank you, Shad." Sheik somehow managed to make it sound as if he wasn't at all grateful as he strode out of the basement. Link glared at his back, scowling as he left. But though Sheik's voice and posture was dismissive, his mind brushed against Link's, warm for half an instant before retreating again.

He smiled, dropped his head into his hands. Silence enveloped the basement, broken only by the turn of a page and the quiet shuffle of texts.

"…Have you spoken to Ilia?" Shad's voice startled him out of his thoughts, and Link lifted his head, surprised.

"Wha—_oh._ Um, no. Not a good idea."

"…Why, exactly, isn't it a good idea to go see the person whose memory you've finally managed to restore after _weeks_ doing nothing else?" Shad sounded terse. Irritated. Link's eyes narrowed on the scholar, who was staring at him just as steadily.

"Don't know what I'd do. Kinda pissed at her."

"_For_ _what?!"_

"She went after Sheik."

Shad paused, and Link knew how he was taking that. Wondering how the fuck Ilia would be able to kill Sheik. Registering the scowl on Link's face. Realizing that when Link had said 'went after', he hadn't meant violently. Realizing the implications.

Shad's face had never been quite so red.

"_Oh._"

Sheik would murder him, but it warmed Link. Not Shad's reaction, necessarily, but just the fact that somebody else knew. That Sheik was _his._

And that helped with…well, _everything._

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"We're going to split up."

The words felt heavy, clumsy in his mouth. Sheik scowled, scrubbing a hand over his face. That wasn't exactly how he'd wanted to word that.

Link stared at him blankly, half asleep and sprawled out on the bed beside Sheik. They were both tired—it had been a long day, and Sheik had had to spin some stupid ass half-truth to Renado about why they were there before he'd been able to hole up in their room. But he'd been mulling over their next plan of action, trying to figure out how to get the rest of the mirror shards before the Traitor did anything.

Well, anything _new._ The threat hanging over his head had grown exponentially. They couldn't afford to waste much more time.

"Like _fuck_ we are!" Sheik let out a yelp, slamming backwards because Link was suddenly on fucking top of him, hands gripping his upper arms hard enough that he'd leave bruises.

"Get off of me."

"I am _not—_no! Why the fuck would you—_ow!"_ Link hissed, clutching his arm as he toppled onto the floor. Sheik put his dagger away, glaring at him, and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Do _not_ grab me. Next time I'll fucking cut it off, understand?"

"You just—" Fucking wonderful. Link couldn't focus on anything besides what he'd already said. He planted a hand on either side of Sheik, but froze when he met Sheik's gaze.

"Not right now, but next week at the latest. We can't afford to waste time on this. You can go investigate the mountains."

"You staying here isn't gonna—" Sheik shook his head, and reached past Link, to the foot of the bed. Link's arm was unyielding, rigid against his stomach. The unrest in his mind was _far_ stronger than Sheik would have thought it'd be. Little tremors of alarm were racing through his own body, a sort of fear and pain and rage he didn't—_couldn't_—understand.

Refused too.

He managed to snag the Dominion Rod, and the book—he'd grabbed it from Shad before holing up for the night.

"Shad's incantation woke the Dominion Rod's power. That power isn't _just_ in the Rod, though. Probably some sort of failsafe to protect it from falling into the wrong hands—it's scattered across Hyrule. The Rod won't work in its full capacity until all of its power is gathered. Luckily, Shad deciphered a map. But it'll take a while." He leaned back as he spoke, and Link pressed closer, forcing him to set the Rod and book off to the side or risk them getting squished.

"You're not up for—"

"I know!" He snapped, pushing Link back. Which did nothing besides knock Sheik himself onto his back, because Link wasn't moving. At all.

He hadn't realized just how strong Link was, physically. He knew he had no reason to fear him for that, but he did. Because Link was in his head already, and he looked _pissed._ And—

Fuck.

"But she's alive and I can't sit here—you—she's going to try and—"

But he sort of melted into Link, when Link reached for him, and Sheik hated himself for that.

"I'm not going to let you run off by yourself. Not in the condition you're in."

"I'll have Beth with me." His voice was muffled by Link's shoulder, and he closed his eyes. He was tired, but…this wasn't something he was going to budge on.

"Three days. And then, with Lanayru's luck, you and Midna will head out to the mountain while I go fix the Dominion Rod. Figure out where the mirror shard is, scout it out, learn what you can. And then we'll meet back here and go retrieve it, then the last one. You're not going to get a say in this, Link."

"Like _fuck_ I'm not!" Link's arms tightened around him. Sheik hesitated for a moment, then lifted his own arms, embracing the Hylian. Sort of. His arms were touching Link, but it wasn't as if he was holding onto him, not really. He hadn't expected Link to be _this_ upset, _this_ angry. He knew there was bound to be some unease—they hadn't really been apart from each other since they'd bonded, since they'd _met_, even.

He could feel the Beast rising up, stirred by Link's emotions and exhaustion. The only physical indicator he gave away was the damn near bone-crushing grip he had on Sheik.

"You can complain all you want, but we can't afford to waste any more time, Link." He spoke with the iron Veran used to use, not giving him an option.

"…You can't go alone."

"Beth—"

"Doesn't count for shit. And Ilia can't go with you either." That threw Sheik. Why the fuck did Link think he'd bring _her?_ She was _useless. _Worse than useless, she was fucking—

"Why in Lanayru's name—Look, Beth will be with me. End of story. I'm not taking anyone else."

"Sheik—"

He pulled away from the Hero, and grabbed Link's face, forcing him to look at him.

"I'm still not sure I trust _you_ with my life. Why the fuck would I put my safety in the hands of people I _definitely_ don't? I'm pretty damn sick of you being _everywhere_ right now. I know I can't take you leaving at this particular moment in time, but in a few days I'm pretty sure I'll kill you if you don't _go the fuck away_. And again, we also don't have the time to waste staying attached to the hip. So we're leaving—" Sheik broke off into a grunt of surprise when Link fell on him. Or tackled him—he wasn't too sure. Either way, he ended up sprawled out on the bed with Link on top of him, pressing a hard kiss to his mouth before burrowing his face into the crook of Sheik's neck.

"What—" His mind was suddenly calmer.

"…Not happy about it."

Sheik let out a slow breath, and relaxed. That conversation had been far more stressful than it had needed to be. And the sudden absence of Link's emotions—the negative ones, anyway—sort of left him grasping for straws. He didn't have anything to hold up his own anger anymore, and there was a soft, pleased sort of emotion clouding Link's head—he didn't know what it was, but it calmed him. Especially if Link wasn't going to fight the issue any longer.

"Don't expect you to be."

"…I'll miss you."

"Don't care."

"I'll make Midna—"

"No. If she enters my shadow with Zelda, bad shit will happen." He could feel Link's pout, though the Hero didn't move.

"…By the way, you'll probably dream weird." Sheik hoped Link would just let the comment pass by, but—well, with his luck, Link caught it immediately.

"What?"

"Because of the bond. It's fine now, but distance will affect it."

"Like, _how_ weird? I'll just see your dreams, or I'll dream about you doing—_ow,_ it's a valid question!"

"Veran tried to be as _less_ specific as possible. It wasn't like she expected this would happen." Which was a roundabout way of saying he had no fucking idea. Link got it, though, and dropped the subject. And he didn't eve n mention the fact that Sheik's face was burning, thank Lanayru.

"…Good night, Link." Sheik highly doubted he could handle another conversation. He was too tired.

"…Night, Sheik."

And even though Link was heavy as a Goron and breathing was somewhat difficult, Sheik was asleep as soon as he'd closed his eyes.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The kids avoided the both of them all throughout the next day. Link was fine with that. They didn't really leave their room—between Sheik giving himself headache after headache trying to remember, and Link taking the time to just relax, there was no need. It was nice, even if Sheik kept his head buried under a pillow and slept for most of the day.

The next morning, however, was a different story. Link had never been able to sit still, and do nothing. One day was great, but two would drive him—or, more importantly, Sheik—insane. So he dragged Sheik outside, to the pool hidden behind the Light Spirit's spring.

"Are you going to blow anything up this time?" Sheik had asked, dryly, and Link's face was still burning when he dove into the water, struggling hard not to draw in a breath at the shock of just how _warm_ the water was. It was scalding, just at the point where it was very hot without being _too_ hot.

Ilia had once splashed him with a pan of boiling water on accident. The pool's temperature was _just_ below that. He wouldn't be able to stay in long—but until he had to get out, he was fine.

Link surfaced, rubbing water from his eyes, just in time to see Sheik ease himself in.

"You're swimming?"

"_Fuck_, how is this so hot?" Sheik hissed.

"Careful not to go past the rocks. Turns into the Light Spirit's spring past them."

"Couldn't have told me before?"

"You can sense stuff like that, can't you?"

"Fucking hate you in my head." He snapped, and Link smirked. Sheik's venom was lacking, and had been for a while. It had been a nice change at first, but he knew it meant Sheik was tired, and still suffering from what had happened in Old Kakariko—he'd much rather have Sheik healthy and _safe_ then nice.

Midna too, but she was off doing her own thing.

He swam to Sheik's side, and began tugging him farther out into the water.

"C'mon, you gotta _exercise, _Sheik."

"Careful, Hero. I could drown you." And Sheik's hands were on his shoulders, forcing his head under. He didn't hold him under—just dunked him—but Link retaliated full-force.

Sheik let out a noise of surprise when he tackled him, gasping before Link took him under, and then fought back.

Not like he usually would have, getting pissed and leaving. But by joining into the impromptu water fight, finally acting his age. Lectured him, when he managed to pin Link down, but laughed—a _real_ laugh, too—when Link managed to flip him back into the water.

It was the most carefree Link had ever seen him, and the most relaxed too. There wasn't any tension or pain in his eyes, or his posture, and when he lost he didn't get pissed or mope like Midna usually did.

Link was still careful, though, when he slipped his arms around Sheik's waist afterwards, pulling him into a hug. Sheik leaned against him, resting his head on Link's shoulder, and it was one of those moments in which Link feared breathing in case the slightest movement broke it. But Sheik didn't pull away, and the moment remained whole, stretching on.

"…I'm not going to the room tonight." Sheik finally murmured, and he sounded drowsy. Link's heart froze, panicked for a moment as he tried to figure out how he'd upset Sheik—but his mind was calm. Maybe a little sad, but…

"…Why?"

"Do you know that I haven't properly prayed to Lanayru since I met you? Especially after the desert…I'd nearly forgotten about my name. And then…the dead deserve more attention then they're getting." Link could hear the smile in his voice at the end of his sentence, and his face flushed—his relief had been so intense Sheik had obviously felt it.

"…Won't it stir up the graveyard?"

"The field—"

"I don't care what you do or where you go, but you are _not_ going out into the field tonight."

"Link—"

"Anywhere else. Go up to Death Mountain if you want. You can run around and do whatever when I head out for Snowpeak, but until then—"

"Try acting like my mother and I will gut you." Sheik growled, and pulled away.

"I—"

"Don't." The acid was back, far stronger than usual as Sheik swam towards the lip of the pool. Link let out a groan, and scowled as he followed.

"Can you _stop?_ Does that _really_ piss you off so much—_fuck—"_ Link dove under water, narrowly missing the rock Sheik had hurtled at him. When he surfaced, Sheik was out of the water, raking a hand through his wet hair as he glared with orbs so harsh they could kill.

"Stop worrying about me. Stop thinking I can't handle my shit myself. Stop acting like I should give a fuck when—" Link cut him off, pressing his mouth to Sheik's, as hard as he could. And then he broke off, before Sheik could.

"I know I'm fucking—that the Beast's doing shit I should probably be worried about with my thinking and head and whatever, and I know I irritate you with the clinging, but that's—I can't _not_, not with—not with this. I know you're scared of this, and of me, and that fucking _kills_, Sheik, but I just—I've told you before that you don't have to worry about that. I'm not going to—"

"You don't—"

"_Yes,_ I do! And I don't know how much of this is because you're scared of what'll happen to you or what's already happen or how stupid you think I am for going along with this shit, but that's not a good excuse. I'm not going to abandon you, or betray you, or do anything like what happened to your people before and whatever you need to assure yourself that isn't gonna happen, I'll do. 'Cuz this isn't just like I'm coping with you in my head or because of the Beast like Midna says, but because I _need_ you, Sheik, and I'm gonna need you for a long time after this and—and that's because of the Beast but it's not like it would have been any different anyway. I just—I don't care if you need me back or—or—"

"Shut _up_." His heart jumped hard with shock, the way that hurt like he'd been stabbed, because Sheik's hand was very suddenly on his face, pushing him back into the water. Link didn't process the fact that there was water under him in time to react properly—he sucked in a deep breath, winded from talking so much and surprised—and inhaled more water than he'd have thought possible.

He surfaced coughing, spluttering, blinded by the water and flailing for something solid to anchor himself too and—

Something grabbed his wrist, and pulled. Not hard, but carefully, slowly. When he hit the lip of the pool, he could sort of see, and he wasn't spewing out water any longer—and the last thing he expected was to see was Sheik kneeling there, scowling but still holding onto him. His lungs still burned, but…

"What—"

"I have let _two_ people, my mother and a fucking _construct,_ touch me of my own volition in the past twelve years. Now I have you trying to rip my fucking pants off every time—"

"You already made me promise—"

"Lanayru's sake, _stop_ interrupting or I'll gut you. I don't care _what_ you need from me. I can't handle you on top of everything else going on and _your_ only purpose right now is to kill the bastard threatening my people. I really don't care if you want to get yourself killed following me around afterwards or not, but you _will_ do what I tell you." He looked irritated, almost pained, and he was grimacing.

And, Farore, he couldn't breathe again. Because he meant—

"But—"

"You're a pain in the ass." Sheik muttered, and let go of him, leaning back as he lay down on the stone.

"Sheik—"

"I'll throw another rock if you don't shut up." He snapped, rolling onto his stomach and stretching out on the rocks.

"...Are you gonna avoid thinking about Old—" Link stopped when Sheik turned his head and shot him a glare.

"I'm going to lay here. And sleep. Go away."

He couldn't—did Sheik _seriously_ expect him to be able to leave after he'd just—

"What are you—?!"

Sheik was warm. Not just from the water, but—

"…Love you."

"I've got a rock right here, you asshole." Link let out a hum, and slid off of him, but he kept an arm wrapped around his waist. Sheik nudged him with his hip, but didn't throw it. Or argue. Or kill him. His mind was irritated, but calm.

"…I'm scared."

"Of?" Sheik asked, quietly. He didn't turn to face Link, and Link lifted his hand from Sheik's waist, brushing his fingers through strands of Sheik's hair.

"I know I can't handle being away from you. Not 'cuz we've tried it but because I panic over everything now, if I transform. I'm scared something bad'll happen and I won't be able to get there in time. I'm scared I'm not gonna be able to handle it, and I'm—I don't know. I know I make you uncomfortable, Sheik. Doing this." Sheik rolled over, batting his hand away and scowling, but his eyes were wary, dark. He probably already knew, but…Link had to say it anyway.

"It just…it helps. I…um, it's like when you're a kid and you sleep with your favorite toy next to you and you keep waking up to—_ow!"_

"I'm not a toy. And all I'm hearing is that you form unhealthily strong dependencies on the _dumbest_ shit I've ever heard of. I am _not—"_

"I'm saying it's too late not too!"

"Midna—!"

"She's not gonna help! She's just glad I'm not grabbing her anymore! And you're not _dumb, _Sheik."

"…Why you—!" He was irritated, but not angry, when Link cut him off, rested his forehead against Sheik's.

Ruby orbs blinked at him slowly, and then Sheik boxed him upside the head and rolled onto his back again.

Still not angry, but…he was serious about wanting to be left alone. Link could feel that, the ache of it in his skull.

"…I'm gonna swim for a bit, then I'll go get food, 'kay?"

"Rock."

"Going, going." He could feel a flash of amusement that sparked in Sheik's mind—probably the only reason the second rock missed.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

He remembered bits and pieces of Kakariko. They were clearer than they had been, thanks to Link, but…they still hurt. They were like fragments from a nightmare, surfacing at random and leaving him shaking, in pain.

After yesterday, pushing himself nearly to the point of breaking—not that he'd let Link know—it was worse today.

The water helped. And the sun, too. He'd made Link leave, even though his presence alone would've helped even more.

Sheik sighed, and stretched out, the rock beneath him almost as hot as the water. It felt good. His scars had been aching when he'd woken up—which was rare. Probably had something to do with how tightly Link had been holding him all night.

And his head throbbed, a sharp pain splitting his skull wide open—

_—__Just like your brother!—_

He was crying, again. He didn't move to wipe away the tears, but just struggled to keep his breathing even. Link's mind flashed in concern—it took more strength then he'd be willing to admit to bat him away.

He hated Agahnim. Hated Impa, too. But he'd known about them. Known what they'd done, their stories.

If he had a brother, the boy had vanished. In the midst of everything, all the blood and war—

Had Agahnim not come after him? Only brought Sheik along, only thought to rescue one son? Was the boy older? Younger? Was he alive, like Sheik was, bearing the same burden Sheik did?

Lanayru, that thought hurt _bitterly_.

He let out a shaky breath, and rolled onto his back, squeezing his eyes shut at the sun's brilliant light blazing down on him.

Duty had always driven everything he'd done. In learning from Veran, from Malladus, in training, in helping Link…

And that wore on him, on his nerves and his fears, because he was still a failure. With his birth parents, his _real_ parents, with Link, and with the Ninth.

Did his brother…_had_ his brother…felt the same way? If he was alive…did he struggle with the same problem? Was he just as much a failure Sheik was? Or...

Veran and Malladus had never told him he was chosen for his role, for what he had to do. He was just the only person left to fill the position. And he knew he wasn't focusing so intently on this brother because he was afraid of being replaced. He just…

He had Link. And it was nice, to not be alone. But the thought of someone enduring what he had, without anyone—

It hit him hard, then, just how lucky he'd been. How lucky he _was._

Not just in how he'd been raised, or who he'd met, but…even with forming a bond with Link. If he hadn't been bound by the time he'd arrived at Kakariko…

Something hit the rock down beside him, and Sheik jerked up, eyes flying open as he scrambled for a weapon—

"Oh! Um, sorry! We didn't—"

It was the kids. Colin, and Beth, and the shaman's brat. He couldn't remember her name. Dressed to go swimming, the girls clinging to Colin's shoulders as he clutched at the edge of the cliff's lip. The rock shelf he lay on was just below that, and then the water.

"No…sorry." Sheik muttered, and drew himself up, pushing himself up to the edge of the shelf.

"What's that on your chest? Are you bleeding?" It was the shaman's kid who asked, refusing to budge. The other girl was staying put too, but the boy took a deep breath and slowly began inching himself over the edge of the cliff.

"Chest…oh_, shit!"_ Sheik jerked himself off of the shelf, into the water, and covered his chest with his arms. He'd forgotten completely about the tattoo.

"You swore!" The shaman's kid gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth. Sheik rolled his eyes.

"How old are you?"

"T—thirteen!"

"And hearing an adult say shit still makes you blush? For fuck's sake—"

Sheik blinked, startled, and stared. Colin had clapped a hand over Sheik's mouth.

"Link'll get mad at you." He scowled, and batted at the kid's wrist until he removed it.

"Link will get mad at me for what I'll do to you if you touch me again."

"Do you like kids?" The other girl, Beth, asked suddenly.

The ReDead rose to mind immediately, his promise to return.

"Some."

"Not us?"

"No."

"Why not?!"

"Why's it matter? Link likes you." Beth scowled at him and hopped into the water, eliciting a shriek from Colin when she splashed him.

"Where are you from? Are you Hylian?"

"None of your business, and no." Lanayru's sake, they were _circling_ him. He was more scared of three children then he was of—well, _anything_. They just wouldn't stop _talking_. Asking questions. Probably got it from Link.

"Are you from Termina?"

"No."

"Hey—"

"Look, no more questions."

"But—"

"If you're good I'll tell you a story tonight. You just gotta promise me one thing." And, yeah. They'd definitely picked it up from Link. Their faces—even the shaman's daughter's—lit up just like his did.

"What?" Colin asked, eyes wide and eager. He was the only kid not in the water yet—the shaman's brat and Beth were trying to inch up on Sheik, who kept moving farther away.

Sheik broke the cycle by grabbing the lip of the cliff and pulling himself up, flipping his hair back over his shoulder when the whole wet mess of it tried to suffocate him.

"You can't tell anybody about my tattoo."

"Why? Does it mean something bad?" The shaman's kid asked, frowning. He studied her for a moment.

She was sharp, like her father. That…worried him. He'd have to give her some type of answer, or she'd go straight to Renado. Not that she wouldn't tell the shaman whatever it was he said anyway, but…

"…It's old. Your people don't remember it anymore, but…a long time ago there were some people that swore to protect Hyrule. They promised to watch over it, and to keep the land in balance and harmony—like the Triforce. One lash for each piece, on the Eye to watch the kingdom." He tapped his chest as he spoke, for each part he spoke of.

"Then what's the blood for?"

"...It's not blood."

"But it's _red._"

"So's your face. That doesn't make your face blood, does it?" He snapped, patience wearing thin as he stood and—

Fucking Lanayru, Link was _right _there.

"That was very juvenile." He was grinning, wider than Sheik would've thought possible.

"I'll punch you. Then we'll see whose juvenile, you asshole."

"Brought food. Hi, Colin. Beth, Luda." Link added, leaning out and waving at the kids.

Sheik let out a sigh and let himself lean forward, resting his head on Link's shoulder for a moment. When he pulled away, Link was blushing.

"Put this on. Tattoo's showing."

"Jealous of some children, Hero?" Sheik muttered, and _wow_, Link _could_ get that red. But he took the offered shirt, and the plate of food. It was long, and baggy, but it was a thick enough material to not show the ink on his chest. Maybe he was intelligent.

"I'm going up to the room."

"Make sure to change your bandages."

He remembered the Dead Hand's bite then, and tugged at the neckline of the shirt, glancing at the wound. There were only a few small spots of blood poking dotting the material, but it was soaked and coming loose. He sighed, and turned. Link was already getting ready to jump back into the water, but he paused and turned to face Sheik when he reached out to the Hero's mind.

"…You've got half an hour."

Sheik turned before he could see Link's smile, but he could feel it, easing the pain in his head.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I sincerely apologize for how long this took to update. I made the mistake of joining FRC, so now I have no time for anything. And I'm trying to teach myself to animate in my spare time bc I have some seriously BA Zelda ideas I want to do. Also, College classes started, and I have exams this week lol. I be so freaking busy -_-**

**ANYWAY, so this chapter was mostly them dealing with shit. Next chapter will get back into the action ;3 I'm so excited for what's coming up~!**


	22. Shadow Splitting (Part One)

"So, um…this—is this it?" Link asked slowly, anxious and hesitant. He couldn't stop moving, shaking and twitching and mostly just refusing to look Sheik in the eye. He couldn't stop staring _at_ Sheik, though, carving every little detail he could into his mind because—

Fuck. He hated this.

He'd said goodbye to everyone. Even Ilia. And that had been difficult. She was so fucking _observant_—she knew he cared about Sheik, and not just as an ally. And that had pissed her off. It had been generally assumed that she and Link would marry, when they got older. Living in Ordon, Link had never given that much thought—he'd been happy alone, so much so that he had refused every effort to get him to move into the village proper. Now, though….he realized just how deeply Ilia had believed that. And now that she'd gained her memories, and now had a thing for Sheik as well…

There was a sigh, and a hand on his shoulder, and when he turned to look at Sheik, Sheik's mouth was very suddenly on his.

It wasn't a short kiss, or a gentle kiss, and even though Sheik's mind sparked in irritation there was a sort of caring in it too, something so buried Link could barely pick it up, that made Link's knees weak. Sheik pulled away, their gaze meeting, and then he scowled, and pulled his cowl back up.

"You're not allowed to come back until you've figured out where the mirror shard is. Midna's allowed to do whatever she wants to keep you there. If you die, I will kill you—hey!" Link pressed his face into Sheik's shoulder, holding him as tightly as he could. After a moment, Sheik relented—put an arm around him in return and relaxed.

"…I'm gonna miss you." Link murmured. Sheik pulled away, scowling.

"Take Epona with you. We're not gonna be able to take her up there—too much water. 'Kay?" Sheik paused, looking at him, at Link's hand and the reins waiting there.

"…Say hello to Ralis for me, if you see him. And—" Sheik reached out again, but this time he only pressed two fingers to Link's cheek.

He felt the press of Sheik's magic around him, winding thickly around his body before fading from his awareness.

"Good for a…particularly life-threatening hit, I suppose. A few, if you're very lucky." Sheik's hand fell, snatching the reins from him, and he promptly turned and began walking. Epona swung her head around, regarded Link for an instant, and then trotted off after him, tail swishing.

Link was silent for a moment, searching for something he could say, but…Sheik was already out of earshot.

"Midna—"

"No."

"But he's—"

"We've got work to do. And even if I weren't inclined to agree with Sheik just because, you're forgetting that it's _my_ mirror we're trying to find. So get moving." She didn't hit him, though. She'd been fairly nice after the head injury she'd given him. Which had mostly healed, but Sheik had refused to even consider it as a reason why _not_ to get moving, despite Link's attempts to convince him otherwise.

He watched Sheik, though, straining to keep sight of him until he'd long since turned the bend in the canyon and left Kakariko—New Kakariko—behind.

"He'll be safe, won't he?" Link's voice shook, the words coming out barely above a whisper.

Midna didn't answer him.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The first day of travel was the hardest, because Link could feel every bit of the ever-growing distance between himself and Sheik like a physical pain. Sheik humored his constant attempts at contact for the better part of the day, but when he threatened to cut Link out entirely, Link stopped cold. Which made it even worse.

So reaching the Zora's Domain early on the morning of the second day was more a relief then he'd thought it would be.

"Hero!" Despite the fact that Link had been paying attention to his surroundings, he still swore when a Zora jumped out of the water to his left, landing on the earth in front of him.

"A messenger has been sent to inform the prince of your arrival." They always spoke so _formally_, though their actions were usually anything but. The Zora stood, rubbing at its scales to get the dirt clinging to it off—no, not it. The Zora was male.

"Oh, um, thanks? Actually, that probably works out well. Um—no, Sheik's not with me." Link added, amusement running through him at the not-very-subtle way the Zora kept looking behind him.

His faced paled in the strange way the Zora blushed, but he stood up straighter.

"I have a…question for you, Hero."

"Yeah, sure, go ahead. Mind if we walk, though?"

"Not at all." The Zora fell in step beside him, though he still looked tense. Probably, Link figured, something to do with Sheik. He hadn't seen or spoken to any Zora since they'd left the Water Temple…which felt like years ago, though it was only a few weeks at the most.

"…Why is the Sheikah traveling with you?"

Oh. Well.

"He told me about the…about what happened to his people." Link said quietly, choosing his words carefully. The Zora paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm...I promised I'd help him. Don't think it'll make what happened right, but…somebody's gotta do something. And he's helping me with…all of this. Being a Hero. I'm not…not good at it. Not sure I want to be." Link added quietly, as they entered the Zora's domain. Though the water was flowing, now, he couldn't help but shiver, feel the chill the ice had brought with it, the bodies trapped beneath it and the weeping of Ralis' mother.

"...If you were to hurt him—"

"Yeah, no, you'd have to get in line. But you guys are fine. I…wouldn't stop you."

The Zora put a hand on Link's arm, stopping him dead, and met his gaze with unfathomable, dark orbs.

"I am glad you understand our concerns, but rest assured I do not believe you are capable of what we fear, Hero. Though I am curious why you would say that."

"Not good at being a Hero?"

"Yes." Link blinked slowly, then shrugged.

"I'm doing this because I'm selfish. I want to keep the people I love safe. I'm sure I'll do something that'll piss you guys off eventually too." The Zora's eyes narrowed very suddenly, and he leaned forward until his face was only a few inches away from Link's. Maybe he shouldn't have been quite so open, but…after Rusl, after Shad, after dealing with the Resistance and everyone getting upset…the sooner he got it out of the way, the better.

"…The Hylians will always be suspicious of a Hero who cares for other races. Even before what happened. Just know that if they ever accuse you of anything, should they grow to hate you or distrust you, we will stay by your side. The Zora, the Goron. I suspect even the Sheikah would. Do not…let the small fish bother you." The Zora stared at him hard for another moment, then blushed again and backed off, waving a hand dismissively.

"I apologize for overstepping my bounds. Come—Prince Ralis is waiting." With that, the Zora took off, shoulders sort of hunched and head bowed, like he was embarrassed, or sheepish.

Which was awesome because Link felt the same. He didn't usually indulge in self-pity, mostly because Midna had beat it out of him and Sheik didn't let him, but…

Thank _Farore_—no, wait, _Nayru —_that Sheik hadn't witnessed it. Link would have died.

He received a few waves and a lot of nods from the other Zora he saw, but none of them approached or tried to talk to him.

The Zora's Domain appeared, at first glance, as little more than a courtyard of sorts—a path ringing a wide pool caged by ornate coral-like screens, with an alcove sheltering a throne at the back. But there was more to it than just the pool, or Ralis' throne. There were tunnels and pathways beneath the water and above land, the natural and Zora-worked stone hiding them from outsiders' eyes. There were whole caverns, passages, entire tunnel systems that only the Zora knew—they kept the pool small in order to keep themselves hidden from visitors. By creating the image of a small population, with a small holding, they kept unwanted attention off of them.

Link could understand that. Ordon did the same thing. The village was small, closely packed, but beyond the goat pens and the immediate forest were fields and resources kept hidden from the average traveler—just to be safe.

"Link!" As regal as Ralis looked, despite his small stature, he bounced off of the throne and hurtled towards him just like any other child would have.

"Ralis."

"Where's Sheik?!"

"Looking for some runes. We split up. He said to say hi, though." That made Ralis grin as Link crouched down to hug him.

"How have you been?" Link asked.

"Good. Thanks to you, the Domain is healing quickly!" That was good. It meant the mirror shard hadn't had enough time to corrupt anything in Snowpeak. At least, not enough to affect the Zora's Domain.

"No, that's mostly you guys. But…has anything weird been going on in Snowpeak? Or near it?"

Ralis went still at that. Not dangerously so, but the energy in him drained out. He was solemn once again, back to being the prince he was supposed to be.

"Nothing dangerous."

Oh, shit. Link knew that face.

"I'm not going to hurt whoever you're protecting, Ralis. Something—Zant hid something dangerous up in Snowpeak. It…what he hid hurts people, though. Takes them over and makes them do things they wouldn't dream of doing otherwise. I'm going up there to get it. So if somebody who lives up there has been acting weird, it might be because of it." He spoke slowly, carefully.

Ralis' face still darkened at the mention of Zant's name.

"That is his name? Zant? The man who attacked us, who killed my mother?"

Link wished Sheik were there. Not because he missed him, though he did, but because Ralis was far more attached to Sheik than he was Link. Sheik would have been able to handle this so much better than Link ever could, and Sheik _hated_ children.

"…Yeah. The man who we're going to stop."

The Zora around him shifted, all of them looking to their Prince—their King, probably, though Link knew nothing of how the Zora crowned their royalty—as one.

"Are you going to kill him?"

If anyone else would have asked, Link would have relaxed. But Ralis was so _young_…

"I might not. But one of us will. Midna, or Sheik, or myself. He'll pay for what he's done, Ralis. That's why I have this."

The Master Sword pinged gently against the stone beneath them, when Link unsheathed it. But it glowed still, with a faint iridescent sheen that spoke volumes for the blade's power. Ralis' gaze dropped, studied the hilt and the engravings there for a long moment.

"We protect Snowpeak from the Hylians and from the rest of Hyrule, and have for centuries. Your people dislike anything not like themselves, as I'm sure you've come to realize. By allowing you access to the mountain, Link, you will bear the trust of all of our people, living and dead. If you break that, by Zora law we will have to put you to death."

Ralis was far stronger than Link had ever given him credit for, he realized. The boy stood, stiff and regal and unflinching, though his face was pale and his fins trembling. Like Sheik, in a way.

"I'd expect nothing less from your people."

He could _feel_ the change in the atmosphere around him. Link realized he must have passed some sort of test—or at least gained the Zora's approval. Ralis offered him a watery smile, the relief evident in his orbs, and then blushed furiously and scrubbed at his face when he realized he was crying.

Link sheathed his blade, and murmured an apology to the Zora standing nearby—he was _so_ lucky they hadn't taken it as a threat—while Ralis collected himself.

"To enter Snowpeak, you have to promise that you'll only take what you've come for without permission—the item you fear is hurting the mountain and its own. You also must promise that you will only defend yourself. If you kill any of the mountain's people without first being attacked yourself, you will violate that promise. There are monsters there, and you are allowed to kill those…but don't confuse what your people think of as monsters with the mountain's people."

Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief. If Ralis had asked him not to kill _anything_ on Snowpeak…that would have been an issue.

"No, I understand. I swear."

"I ask that you help the Yeti, if there is anything wrong with them, too. I know you're busy and that the fate of Hyrule rests on your shoulders, but if there is something wrong…" Ralis trailed off, face flushing. Link couldn't help the smile that touched his lips.

"You'll be a great king, Ralis. I'll do what I can for them, get them to talk to you guys if there's no other option."

And again, the Zora made a collective movement—not to sigh or glare as they had before, but as one they all lifted a hand and made some gesture Link was unfamiliar with. Even Ralis did it, though his motion wasn't as profound.

Ralis took his hand, still just as solemn as he had been before, and chanted something in a language Link didn't recognize, and made no attempt to understand.

But he felt the burn, sharp like when Sheik used his magic on him, but…cooler. Sort of, anyway.

Not that he'd mention it to Sheik, but the first time Sheik had cast anything on him, it had felt cold—not bitterly, not the sort that chilled him to the bone, just…it had made him shiver. When they'd parted ways in front of Kakariko, though…

His magic had been warm, then. Not hot, but…warm enough that feeling Ralis' magic made him remember it acutely. Made him miss Sheik again, even more strongly.

Still, Link kept himself in check, kept his own power and the Triforce from reacting wildly like it wanted to.

"Just to—it'll tell us. Tell me if…okay?" Ralis was acting his age again.

Link forced a smile, and dropped a hand on is head.

"It's fine, Ralis. It's not like you have to worry about anything, anyway. So, um, not to sound stupid or anything, but, what exactly are the Yeti?"

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"Holy _shit."_

Link's first real look at Snowpeak took his breath away.

He'd seen glimpses of it, during his stays at the Domain. Felt the chill so cold it radiated through the stone—even the water in the pool near it was colder. Once he'd seen a strange-looking Zora step out of the passage, thicker and more muscular than the Zora he'd seen, more like he'd been made of stone than flesh.

He'd known it was something formidable, but…just the sheer amount of _snow…._

It snowed in Ordon, of course. But not much. Never more than just enough to make the bridge impassible. Snowpeak, though, was _drowning_ in the stuff. Blinding, really—it was all he could see.

Which was _awesome_, but cold as _fuck._ And the snow hid lakes, unsteady chunks of ice and pools of black water, as he learned almost immediately after exiting the relative safety of the Zora's tunnel.

Midna saved him from that, grabbing him and yanking him back into more stable snow with her magic before he could get wet.

"You might just want to transform. You'll last longer—warm coat, better senses. And you have _some_ modicum of grace then." She advised, flicking his shoulder before retracting her power.

Link rubbed at it absently, glancing down at the pouch he kept the shadow crystal in.

"…Midna, I don't think I can."

"Why not?" She snapped. He could hear the irritation in her voice like a physical thing.

"'Cause Sheik's not here."

That stilled her.

And then she was rifling around in his bag, dragging out the crystal and holding it so close to him he could feel the change coming, his mind shifting and surging even as he held to his Hylian form.

"I think I can keep you in line for a little while, mutt. Just keep in mind that he'll kill you if you don't behave."

Link prayed he'd be able to. Ralis had said a Yeti had been trekking down into their lands to take a rare sort of fish every night. It managed to avoid contact with the Zora each time too, which was astounding to them. The behavior was abnormal, and worrisome. They'd tried to contact Ashei about it, because she was so close to the Yeti, but hadn't heard back from her. Ralis had even given him a history lesson, about how the Zora had first met the Yeti, and what they were really like—he'd only heard of them through Ashei's story, and though he was fine with his promise to Ralis, it was smarter to go in knowing all he could than nothing about the people he was supposed to be protecting.

Ralis had given him an earring of his mother's, made out of some type of coral the fish liked, so he could catch it. The things _reeked_—Midna had been calling them reekfish from the moment she'd first seen them, but Link wasn't sure if that was their actual name or something she'd coined because it fit.

But the scent was strong enough for him to track, even through the blinding snow.

So strong, in fact, that Link sneezed—and realized he'd changed forms.

It was bad, if he couldn't even tell anymore when it happened.

Midna settled on his back, apparently unbothered by the cold. Probably using magic to keep herself warm. He let out a huff, shook himself, and took a step forward.

Sheik's absence hit him like a physical weight with absolutely no warning, and Link whined, reaching out for him with his mind instinctively, tumbling and tripping and panicking.

He was faint, far away and hard to reach—it was like swimming through something solid, trying to reach him. But Sheik felt it—and though the acknowledgement was sluggish, irritable, it was still something. Still enough.

Midna's fists were wrapped so tightly in his fur that it hurt, made his eyes water as Link shook himself free of his panic, worry, from his loneliness.

"You are _useless."_

And he latched onto her voice because there wasn't much else he could do about it because Sheik would _kill_ him a hundred times over if he didn't find out where the mirror shard was and—

He shook his head again, dispelling his thoughts, and focused on the smell of the fish.

It was something easy to drown himself in, to forget that he was alone and Sheik was gone and Midna was muttering to Zelda on his back like he wasn't there. And it got easier as it went, because after a while Link was attacked by wolfos so white they were nearly invisible against the snow—and it put him at ease because Sheik was terrified of them and if he wasn't there to see it, it couldn't scare him.

Or maybe he was just rationalizing the shit out of everything he did to make it hurt less, the separation.

The taste of blood filled his mouth, and he clamped his jaws down harder, ripping and tearing at the wolfos' throat as its pack mates tried to claw their way through the snow to get to his underbelly.

He couldn't hear them, couldn't understand them. Not the way he was able to hear Epona, or the creatures of Faron—as clear, distinct voices. They made noise, but it was muted—muffled and loud, like it was echoing in some cave he couldn't hear, couldn't understand.

But they could hear it, and they understood each other clearly.

Particles of twilight blazed around them as Midna cast a spell, and with a loud snap the wolfos attacking him were sent flying.

He seized the chance and jerked himself back. The flesh he had hold of tore free with a sickening squelch, spraying blood in brilliant arcs of color.

These weren't like the monsters he had spent most of the past year facing. These were actual animals, untwisted by Zant's power.

He didn't like killing them, the violence needed to put them down, but the wolfos wouldn't run—or leave him alone.

He snarled, dropping the chunk of flesh—and backed up, letting the rest of the pack surround their fallen member. The smell of blood was drowning out the scent trail of the reekfish. Much more and Link would never be able to find it again. He had to end this as soon as he could. He'd tried just leaving, of course, but—well, he had the wounds to attest how bad of an idea that had been.

So he jumped forward, pushing off of the sticky, pink snow at his feet as he hurtled himself at the wolfos at the center of the mob—not the one he had injured, but the first one to have approached the convulsing corpse.

Hopefully, it was the leader of the pack. If he was wrong, he'd be in trouble, but…Link was sure of it. It hadn't panicked when it had approached the dying wolfos, hadn't been frantic or upset or whining. It had been calculating, looking between the body and Link.

It saw him, realized what he was doing—too late.

Link twisted, and slammed into its legs, knocking it off its feet and exposing its belly in the same movement.

The next few moments were a blur, tangled movement and snarling and the taste of blood and fur and hate. Screaming, distorted and faint and wrathful in his head, Midna snarling and _blazing_ with power so intense it made his bones ache. Agony as claws ripped along his coat, slipping and sliding and slicing against his fur, his flesh. The feel of skin and bone parting beneath his claws and teeth, a sort of high threatening to take over as everything faded, fell to the rush of adrenaline and pain.

And right when he was about to fall into that strange, violent oblivion—

It _hurt_, a searing agony like fire racing through his veins, scorching his nerves. He howled, screamed as the pain melted, became something softer and warm and almost pleasant—

Link shuddered, fingers scrabbling through hard ice and powdery snow as he tried to get a hold of himself, to calm his racing heart and control his breathing. The Triforce shone like the sun on the back of his hand, bathing his surroundings in its warm, golden light.

He could feel Midna's weight, heavy in his shadow, and he shuddered as he drew his knees to his chest, spitting out the wolfos blood, salty and hot on his tongue.

He knew what he'd see if he looked up. Had seen it in the desert and seen it—

"Fuck, fuck—" His voice was barely audible even to his ears, nothing more than a whimper. _Shit_, he was crying.

Lanayru had tried _so_ hard to warn him about it, to let him know what could and would happen if he lost it, and—

_It's alright_.

And it was buzzing again, vibrating like it was singing, sort of like how the Master Sword had looked when Sheik had played that song in—

"N—No—"

And he knew it was Zelda reaching out to him, blanketing him with the weight of her magic, of her Triforce, but it was still—

He made the mistake of jerking, as if he could run from what he'd done. He made it to his feet before he fell, slipped and slid and crashed amidst the slick, shattered remains of the Wolfos. Blood and bile and bone and—

It was a whirlwind, arcing stains of red and white and grey and—and _Din_, the _stench_-

And Sheik was there, presence so strong it was nearly physical and Link couldn't help but—

_—_and he was—

"I'm _sorry—"_

Link gasped, choking on a pain that was not his own as the ghastly sight before him blurred, swirled and shuddered into a landscape far different from the frozen mountain he was on.

Hyrule Field, and he was gasping, cursing where he lay in a crumpled heap on the ground and Epona was nuzzling his face and—

And he was clutching his head, his hat splayed out in brilliant contrast on the snow at his feet and power arcing through his body like lightning and—

Wherever he was, Sheik started singing. Low, in a language Link did not understand, but insistent, and gentle, and calming and—

"_I—I'm sorry…_"

Slowly, ever so slowly, Link began to calm down. His fingers unknotted from his hair, the trembling in his body ceased. His breathing slowed, his heart stopped racing.

He was still weeping, Sheik's song warm and comforting in his head. The Triforce still burned, prickled and seared at his flesh but—

There were hands on his, silent and plaiting magic tightly around the Triforce, binding it back up and locking it away again.

Again.

He let Midna do it, Sheik's song lulling him into a numbness he craved. Kept him from panicking, or lashing out, or focusing too long at the carnage around him.

Eventually Midna tugged him to his feet, steered him away from the mess. He stumbled along with her, still clinging to Sheik's song, his presence—

"S—sorry—"

Even when darkness swallowed him, and he knew nothing.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

He was crying when he woke up, and Link let out a long string of curses as he sat up, pressing his palms into his eyes as hard as he could.

Because Sheik had seen it. When he'd been a mess and—

He'd tried to bury them. The memories. Midna hadn't given a shit and that had been fine because that was the type of person she was but he couldn't—

Too much blood. Too afraid.

And Sheik had—it hadn't happened with Sheik, not in a way he'd regret or fear or wake screaming in the night because of but—

He swallowed, held himself in check and drowned the desperate urge to reach out, see if Sheik would flinch away from him or—

"You awake!"

The voice was loud, booming and rumbling with a deep, guttural accent vaguely reminiscent of the Goron. Link jumped, head snapping up as his hands fell—

He was undressed, wads of cloth tied around his wounds and a thick fur pelt lying over him. His gear lay in a messy heap a ways away from him, near a crackling fireplace.

Dark eyes blinked at him curiously out of a mound of blankets larger than he was, and Link's orbs widened in surprise when he looked over at the speaker—incredibly large, almost as big as Darbus had been, with the Fused Shadow twisting his body. Colored in whites, blues, and yellows, all pale and faded, it stood on two legs and had two arms, with a massive…Link didn't know what it was. Not a tail, or an ass, but…sort of like the ants Malo and Talo used to catch in their mother's preserve jars. Like another body segment, besides a torso, head, and limbs. It looked like it was grinning at him, massive teeth flashing in the light of the fire.

He'd seen them before. The face, anyway.

"…Are you Yeti?"

"Ah! Boy know?" The larger one asked, clapping its hands together—it sounded like thunder, it was so loud.

"Ralis. All the Zora. They were worried. Asked me to help. How'd…?"

"Husband found sleeping in snow. Freezing." Link looked again at the pile of blankets and the dark eyes, the Yeti who had spoken. It—she, if her voice was anything to judge by—was much quieter than the other Yeti, her husband as she'd claimed. Her voice was still rumbling, but lighter. Less guttural, smoother.

Link shuddered, recalling the press of Sheik's mind and the tune of his song.

That was right. He'd…

"Thank you. I…My name is Link."

"Yeto. Wife Yeta." The large one boomed, clapping his hands together again, though softer this time.

"Why mountain? Zora…worried for—" She broke off, gasping as she dissolved into a fit of coughs.

In a moment Yeto was at her side, helping her free of the blankets and rubbing her back, rumbling too quietly for Link to hear what he said.

He shuddered at that. Not because of how gentle Yeto was being, but…he'd never heard a sound like that, the coughing. Wet and violent and sick. That was the sort of noise the soon-to-be dead made. Not…

"Yeta sick. Make soup. Heal." Link blinked, looking up at Yeto. He was holding his wife carefully, rubbing her back as her fit subsided.

His features were alien to Link, but he could see the fear in the Yeti's orbs. That…he would have been able to understand anywhere.

"What can I do to help?"

Yeto's relief was…

Link looked back down at his lap, at the makeshift bandages.

"Make soup. Need ingredients. Find? Feed, if help."

"…Yeah. I'll…oh! Midna might—um…I have some red potion. That might help, but I don't know if…a friend of mine can't take it 'cause it's bad for him, and I don't know if it'll be good for you. I'll go get it—just, if you want to try that I've got it."

The Yeti let out a soft sound, what Link decided to take as a chuckle.

"Thanks. But soup…better."

Link nodded, and struggled out of the blankets.

He was still wounded, and his movements sent fresh pain racing up his nerves and fresh blood leaking from his cuts. But he didn't _feel_ hurt, or tired. Part of the Triforce's power, he assumed, and Link swallowed hard against the taste of bile in his mouth.

He fixed the bandages, put on clean ones and made them tight enough that they actually helped stop the bleeding. None of his gear had been messed with, besides a few snapped pieces of leather—probably done in trying to get Link's shit off of him. None of it was so bad that he couldn't fix it with a knot, no matter how stupid it looked.

Ordona had told him that the tunic had been an ancient hero's. Link had long since grown out of the period in which he'd treated the thing more precious than his own life, but…

He wondered if it had been the Hero of Time's. Wondered how smart it would be to burn the damn thing, if it had been. And put it on anyway.

He'd ask Sheik. But first he had to help Yeto, had to find the mirror.

He dressed quickly, and packed the rest of what Yeto had found with him into a tight bundle, so that Midna could take care of it easier later.

"What do you need me to get?"

"Not leave. Sick. Might…" Yeto paused, drew in a shuddering breath, and rocked Yeta just a little bit faster before continuing.

"Ingredients in other rooms. Keep wolfos out. Make map?"

Link nodded slowly, and pulled out a piece of paper—the map of the Goron mines. He flipped it upside down, handed Yeto a stick of charcoal, and watched curiously for a few minutes as Yeto scribbled a barely legible map, marking their location with a giant X that very nearly covered everything he'd drawn.

"I'm…I came up here looking for a piece of a mirror. Have…?" He trailed off as Yeta shifted suddenly, turning in Yeto's arms so that she faced him.

"Yeta have mirror. If…help husband, Yeta give?" Her voice was strong, if quiet. Not wavering, though she seemed to be trembling.

He found himself praying to the Three that she lived. She looked too much like Uli like that. Too kind, too motherly, too caring.

"I'll help anyway."

"Thank you."

He had to close his eyes, to her smile.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"…It's fucking _old."_

"Cold?"

"That too." Midna said dismissively, leaning on his shoulder. He shrugged, trying to get her bony elbow off of him. She just floated with the movement.

She was right, though. Yeto and Yeta's manor was ancient. There were intricate little carvings everywhere in the broken walls and spiraling up through the patchwork ceilings, in some archaic dialect he couldn't even begin to recognize. The whole building was sprawling, made of stone and metal and a strange wood Link had never seen before—dark, solid, and despite its exposure to the elements, as strong as if it had been cut and placed only hours before. And though the place was broken and in ruins, there were still signs of life. That Yeto and Yeta used the back rooms and courtyards cluttered with Snowpeak's vicious wildlife and swallowed by the snow and ice.

It was different, from the temples. Even from the places he'd gone previously—the mines, or even the Temple of Time. Sheik had left no sign of his existence there, besides in Skull Kid and Majora's protective wrath, and the Gorons had fled the mines so quickly there had been nothing but an eerie sense of _wrongness_ there. But the manor looked like it was still inhabited, even in its current state. As if someone had just gone out for a bit, and was coming home soon.

"…Beautiful, though. Old. Maybe as old as the Temple of Time?"

"I can't imagine that. The Zora probably haven't let anyone up here since the second Great Betrayal, but the Temple of Time is so old even we have—" Midna's stopped. Link glanced up at her, frowning, and realized why she'd stopped.

"…Really shouldn't have come here for help. There are other realms. Gotta be some with an irritating mutt _without_ all of this Sheikah shit."

"Sheik wouldn't approve."

"He can kiss my ass. How am I supposed to tell me people _any_ of this?"

"…Do what Zelda'll do."

Midna's eyes flashed blue, as she jerked her head down to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

Link swallowed, hard, at her sudden tone. He'd offended her, if accidentally. Probably both of them, to be honest.

"She can't tell everybody what happened. Bring up ancient history, the sort that could literally tear her kingdom apart. Not because she doesn't care, but because that would probably spark another slaughter. You can't go tell your people 'hey, we've been fucked for the past five hundred years by these assholes, but it's okay because I sort of like some of them, so don't go kill them for what they did to our ancestors'." Link stepped forward as he spoke, weaving his way through mounds of snow and rubble. Midna floated after him slowly, fingers gripping his shoulder tightly enough to bruise the flesh beneath.

"…Does that piss you off as much as it does me?"

"No fucking shit, Midna." He snapped, shrugging out of her grip and turning a glare on her.

"But Sheik can't spend his whole life hating every Hylian out there, and neither can his people. And if we've _really_ forgotten, then it'll be fine, especially if Zelda—and you—handle it right. You don't have to…Sheik would be able to say it better." A pang ran through him at the thought of Sheik, a shiver at the memory of what their last contact had been.

Midna scowled, gripped his shoulder and propelled him into the nearest snow drift. He yelped as he fell—and smashed into something warm, that bolted out of its cover as soon as he hit it.

Immediately the snow around them erupted, and four white wolfos began to circle him.

"You're so fucking stupid."

"Maybe if you'd stop throwing me into shit—"

The banter was stupid, but it helped. Because he kept seeing red, the mess from the night before, and his hand throbbed in time with his heart beat.

The wolfos went down easily, though, without much trouble.

"Hey, you might want to use your bow as much as you can though. There's ice beneath the snow."

"No shit."

She just _loved_ rubbing it in. He glared at her, from his spot in a snowdrift.

"Don't get snippy with me."

"What else am I supposed to do?" Midna's expression fell flat, and she took a moment to look around them.

"…Fair point. Onward, my noble mutt!"

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"It's fucking _ice!_"

"No shit!"

"Stop saying that!" A snowball accompanied Midna's shriek. It splattered harmlessly against his leg, but she'd put enough force in it to knock him off balance.

He fell into chunks of oozing ice, the remains of the creature he'd just slain.

The entire manor was filled with things like them, creatures made of snow and ice rather than flesh and blood. He was covered in clear, sticky blood—which was great, because it helped him stay standing on the icy floors, but also sucked because it got more places than the snow did.

"Thanks."

"You're just clumsy."

"Says the woman too scared to walk."

"Do you _see_ how short these legs are? If I had my true form back, I could out-walk you any day, mutt."

He rolled his eyes, but managed to scramble up without falling any more times than usual.

"Are these things around because of Zant?"

Midna paused, turned to regard him with the look Sheik gave him when he said something smart, and flicked a hand towards the monster's remains. The whole mess glowed for a moment, including the stuff covering Link.

"…No. Old. Feels more like Sheik's stuff."

That was interesting. The things didn't have bodies in them, and weren't made of bones…and they didn't look like Poes. So they probably weren't dead things. So he had no idea why she thought that they connected to Sheik.

"Anyway, does it matter? We've only got the one more ingredient left." She said abruptly.

"No, just curious." He followed her into the next room, where a chest lay firmly closed and locked, protected by blocks of ice neatly stacked around it.

They were a little out of place among the ruins, so obviously well taken care of. But the cold preserved food, and storing them far away from the entrances of the livable quarters kept creatures from mobbing them. And Yeto was so big nothing could bother him—he could probably step on the ice creatures with no problem, though they towered over Link.

"…How the fuck does he get this stuff up here? The Zora don't trade with Ordon." He pulled a wheel of cheese out of the chest, careful to wrap it in a spare cloth before handing it to Midna. She didn't bother to answer, not that he'd expected as much.

There was a sudden, sharp pain in his head—a surge of surprise and shock from Sheik, so very sudden and so very intense that Link's vision went white. He staggered, flailing for something to keep him upright even as he crashed into another pile of snow.

There was a tugging in the pit of his stomach, like he was falling from a high height, and before he could orientate himself it disappeared—like something had been pulling at him and then let go.

"Fucking _Farore_, what was that?" He blinked spots from his eyes, gingerly pressing a hand to his stomach. It sort of felt like he'd been stabbed, or…disemboweled. But Midna would be screaming over either of those, and Sheik's backlash would be…

He stood up, limbs weak and shaking. His legs almost gave out on him, and it was a long few minutes before he could completely straighten and take a step forward without swaying.

"Link?" Midna's voice was pitched awkwardly high, and he almost laughed at the sound of it. Would have, if it hadn't have concerned him so much.

"What?"

She was staring at him, orbs large and heavy with an emotion he couldn't name.

"Where's your shadow?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG. Exams every other week, and then prom, and then exams, and I had to write a speech, AND NOW GRADUATION AND COMIC CON. Not in that order. I wanted to get this posted before we leave tonight bc I won't get another chance to for days…after we get back I have a shit ton of more graduation shit to do -_- I get to give a speech lol. On the bright side, Robotics is OVER. THANK GOD.**

**So part of the reason my stories have so much shit going on in them is because I don't like to write boring parts (nothing happening) even if the plot calls for it, so I tend to add even MORE plot or issues or whatever in to make it easier to write—and for some reason this chapter just SUCKED trying to write out. Probably 'cause I'm so excited for part two and three…it'll cover some stuff I thought I wasn't gonna cover and thought I did and wasn't gonna touch again but decided to anyway bc why not? (Don't worry. You'll like it…but no guarantees lol).**

**Just…HUGE PLOT THINGIES.**

**I've always thought Snowpeak was one of the more interesting dungeons in any Zelda game, if it did have a ridiculous plot. I hope you all felt I made it more realistic lol.**

**ALSO BY THE WAY AHAHAHA YOU GUYS, Calling what's gonna happen and everything, I'm so proud of you ;3 I love reading your reviews, especially when you guess right. (though my sister doesn't, I tend to start trying to throw things). You guys made my month lol.**


	23. CONTEST! AWESOMENESS!

**CONTEST! AWESOMENESS!**

As you all know, the characters in A Route are all from different Zelda games—no OCs! BUT. I thought this would be a cool way to thank you guys for everything you've done with this story, so I'm opening a contest that will allow two lucky winners to have their names used in A Route. I will not divulge any info about the characters whose names are up for grabs bc plot—BUT THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS CONTEST!

Either in a PM or a review, list THREE things you think are going to happen before the end of the story—guess at the plot, at what happens to certain characters, or even the aftermath of the story. The person(s) who guess the most things correct will win! To prevent spoilers, I will not say which things were correct, or the percentages of what is correct (in case someone gets all three right). Things that are guessed very close but not quite will be worth half a point, while correct things will be worth one—and the scores will not be made available, also to prevent spoilers. At the end of the story, they will be—so don't worry, you can brag about your Sherlockiness eventually!

RULES:

**TO ENTER:** Leave a review or send me a PM listing three things you think are going to happen. If you have an account, you have to be logged in. If you don't have a FFN account, leave a way that I can contact you—email, ect—and I will remove the review as soon as possible and contact you about it so that your personal info isn't up for everyone.

**YOU CAN ENTER A MAXIMUM OF TWICE. **Each entry will be counted SEPERATELY, not scored together. If you have an account, leave your username in your second entry if you choose to leave it as a review.

**GUESSES MUST BE CLEARLY WRITTEN.** I will attempt to contact you in the event of vague or unclear guesses, but a best effort must be made to get your point across.

**WHAT IS NOT ELIGBLE FOR GUESSING:** You cannot guess that 'They will live happily ever after', 'they won't live happily ever after', 'Sheik and Link will have sex' or that they will get together or be a couple or anything like that, bc this story DOES ship them. So, you know, that's gonna happen anyway. You _can_ guess who is top and bottom if you want lol. Guesses must be very clear, as before mentioned, and specific. Not 'the bad guy dies' or 'he gets killed', ect. Say 'Bob is killed by George' 'the missing cookie is actually in the jar!', ect.

**HINTS**: This story's plot actually correlates pretty closely to the poem which its name comes from, Dreamland by Edgar Allen Poe, IMO. Parts of it, anyway lol. Other parts deal with the series of oneshot-y sequels that will come after this. You can read the poem and use that to guess what's gonna happen!

**EVERYONE CAN ENTER**. Except for my sister. I talk about the plot too much with you lol.

**THE WINNERS:** Will be contacted by me. In the event of ties, I will contact those involved and it will be sorted out privately (The tiebreaker will depend on the scores). In the event not enough people (or nobody) enters, there will be one winner.

**THE PRIZE:** As before mentioned, two winners will have their names (NOT USERNAMES. I need actual people names. If you want to pick one that isn't yours or a nickname, that should be fine as long as it isn't crazy) used as the names of two characters in some upcoming chapters. And they will win my eternal love lol. **AND A SNEAK PEEK AT A VERY INTERESTING THING WITH ONLY SLIGHT SPOILERS FOR THE MAIN STORY. **(This can be opted out of upon request).

**Let me know if you guys see anything you need to know that's missing from this!** And have fun!

~!I'm doing Camp Nano again, and I'm writing A Route for it, just so you guys know! Even though I'm busy as fudge, I WILL FINISH THIS CRAP!~


	24. Shadow Splitting (Part Two)

******CONTEST IS STILL OPEN. WANNA SHOW UP NEXT CHAPTER? ENTER! IT'S EASY I PROMISE! DETAILS LAST 'CHAPTER'.**

Sheik shifted uncomfortably, and nearly lost his seat for his trouble. Epona rocked side to side like an earthquake beneath him, ears flickering excitedly.

He fucking _hated_ riding, but the horse seemed to genuinely enjoy it, and was making it a living nightmare for him. He'd walked until Link was out of site that morning, before climbing on—like _fuck_ he was going to let the asshole see him actually riding the damn thing. It'd make him too smug.

He would also _never_ let Link know it had taken three separate attempts before he'd managed to stay on the horse successfully. He couldn't actually _ride_ anyway, but he could sit on the horse and Epona went off where he wanted to go without much trouble. She was smart. Or maybe magic. Either way, it didn't matter.

But horses were a Hylian thing, after all, and…

He didn't let himself finish that thought.

He hadn't told Link where he was going. Well, Link had seen the map—knew where all of the runes were located. But he hadn't told Link that he was returning to the Seventh, after getting the first rune.

He didn't plan to stay long. Just…long enough to see Skull Kid and Majora. Veran's grave. The Seventh.

He needed something familiar. And Link did _not_ count, no matter how much the asshole thought he did, because he was the reason Sheik needed something comforting and _fuck_, he was pathetic.

Selfish. But what Link didn't know wouldn't hurt him. And if he did find out, oh well. Sheik wasn't doing anything _bad_. Just…

The second-to-last piece he needed was back in the canyons, and he knew he needed to get a grip on himself before he went there. It was too close to Kakariko. To the Traitor.

To his mother.

And the final piece was in the desert, but…he refused to go there without Link. Just the thought left him so anxious he could hardly breathe.

He wished, not for the first time, that his parents were both dead. That whatever shit had been pulled to keep them alive so long had failed. Because he loathed them with an intensity he hadn't known he was capable of, for just how afraid they made him. For how fucked up they'd made his life.

Not that it had ever been simple, though.

"…Not a word of this to Link. Ever."

He swore to Lanayru the horse laughed at him. It fucking _laughed._

Link's mind pressed against his for the third time since they'd parted ways.

He was getting better at it, not that Sheik would tell him. The contact was gentler, less intrusive. Sheik didn't bother to respond to it, and after a moment Link retreated.

Thank Lanayru. He wasn't sure how long he would be able to last not snapping at Link for it, or worse, panicking and reaching back. Because there was a faint throbbing in the back of his head already, and he knew it would get worse the longer he thought about the encounter in Kakariko, but he couldn't stop worrying about it, and…

Sheik shook his head, huffing as he tried to blow his bangs out of his face. He had absolutely no faith in his ability to stay on Epona with anything less than both hands on the reins.

"This is fucking boring. So what do you do when Link's gone? He said something about the girl in Kakariko—do you just spend your time with her?"

Epona picked up her speed, letting out another noise.

"Fuck—no, stop, slow the fuck down, I'm getting off!"

She ignored him.

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"…Don't give me that look."

Epona, as she'd been doing since their journey had started, ignored him, and bumped his back with her head again.

Behind him, the bang of metal on metal continued.

The owl statue he was looking for—the marker for the fragment of the Dominion Rod's power—was right in front of a Hylian's shop, near the edge of Faron's depths. The man who ran it was a strange-looking Hylian with shifty eyes and arms and hands covered in burns and scars. He'd offered to sell Sheik lantern oil, as well as whatever he was making on his campfire—stew, Sheik assumed, judging by the smell. He'd refused, but his work trying to uncover the statue from the vegetation that had swallowed it over the years and subsequent efforts to figure out how to unlock the glowing blue-white rune he'd discovered beneath it were entertaining him so much, he'd given Sheik some free of charge anyway.

The Dominion Rod had responded readily to his command, which had surprised him. Though it wasn't bound to Link like the Master Sword was, it was still one of the Hero's tools.

Maybe it was because of his bond?

The thought brought back sudden, sharp memories of bloody snow and Link's screams, and Sheik sat down slowly, squeezing his orbs shut.

He hadn't realized just how terrified Link was, of the Triforce. Hadn't realized there was a reason, either.

The magic didn't have a conscience. It wasn't evil, it wasn't good. It was a tool, and little more. But it sought to protect its wielder, _especially_ when it had chosen them, and not been forced onto them, and Sheik thought it was probably more than a little bit self-aware. As far as Sheik understood, Link had been born with his piece. After it had awakened, it could actively protect Link, though. And in the Desert, hours earlier that morning, it had protected him with a ferocity so intense that it had scared him.

Probably to make amends for scaring him the previous times, in all honesty, but…it wasn't that Link hated power, exactly. He was rather unconcerned with having a piece of the Triforce, so long as it didn't act out. And he was the farthest thing from being opposed to killing. Just…

Sheik had seen fragments of something else. Seen Faron, a great tree infested with Zant's sick power. Corpses, of monsters and of animals and shaking hands, fear so thick it could stop his heartbeat. Golden light searing nearly half of his body with its heat, so strong that it physically hurt him, though they were memories—and not even his own.

It had been, he assumed, the first time Link had ever truly been injured badly.

But…

The Dominion Rod grew hot, in his hand, and Sheik snapped out of his thoughts as he let go of it, cursing.

The rune was dissipating into mist, which filtered into the Rod. Sheik scrambled up, startled. What the fuck had he done, to get it to activate? He had—

_Oh._ The book Shad had translated lay open on the rune, having fallen out of Epona's saddlebags.

He stuck a piece of grass in the page, to bookmark it, and murmured a half-hearted thanks to the horse. By the time he'd packed it all up, the rune was gone and the Rod was no longer glowing.

"Gotcher magic?" The Hylian asked, his spoon still clattering against the pot as he stirred. Sheik trailed after Epona—the horse had taken the lead before he could do anything, not that he cared all that much.

"I'd better."

"Good luck in there, friend. Beware the mists!"

Sheik shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to act around the man, but…

"Thank you."

"Anytime. Gotta stick together, these times!" The man stood as he spoke, banging his spoon against the edge of the pot.

That was a rather…friendly way of thinking, Sheik thought. Coming from a Hylian, anyway. But he believed the man was honest in his intentions, and his words.

Not…not _every_ Hylian deserved to die. He'd always acknowledged that, but having been forced to spend so much time around other Hylians lately…

He didn't trust anyone. It wasn't just that he didn't trust Hylians. And maybe it was Link's influence, but…he was being nicer to people, and he didn't really like it. Being rude made them angry and confrontational, but he could handle that. Being nice led to questions, conversations—exactly what he tried to avoid. He never knew how much he would let slip when he started talking to others, and—like with the shaman in New Kakariko—he knew for a fact his lies weren't going to hold up long.

But…he just needed them to hold up until after Zant lay dead. Afterwards he'd leave Hyrule. Find the other survivors. Avoid Castle Town like the fucking plague.

"I can't wait for this shit to be over with." He muttered. Epona glanced over her shoulder at him, and flicked her tail.

"You probably can't either, huh?"

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The Seventh was…foreboding. He didn't know how else to describe it. It had always been stern, of course, but this was…this was something different.

And he knew very well that it was his fault.

Well, Link's, technically, but there really wasn't a difference.

"You _cannot_ kill him." His voice was unwelcome, his words especially so. The forest seemed to mute it, dampen the sound and silence it before it had traveled far.

Sheik lowered his gaze from the Seventh, looked around at the courtyard around him.

There were the remnants of the fire, where they'd slept after Link had retrieved the Mirror shard. Veran's grave, still pristine, untouched.

He knelt, pressed his fingers against the stone. His blood still marred its surface, a dark stain on the grave's rock.

Tears stung at the back of his eyes, hot and sharp like needles. He cursed, under his breath, and stood up, pressing his palm to his eyes.

He was _not_ going to start fucking crying. Not now.

A hand slipped into his, fingers knotting around his reassuringly.

"Where is he?"

He'd heard Skull Kid use that tone a few times before. Dealing with intruders, ridding the Grove of evil. Being extremely offended with things Veran did accidentally.

It never boded well for his target.

"Not here. You don't have my permission to kill him."

"We don't have your permission not too." Skull Kid corrected.

"…Did you know they were alive?"

Skull Kid cocked its head to the side, turning to face him rather than the grave. It wore Majora, face obscured behind the mask.

"We felt the rot surge, not too long ago. But…both of them?"

Sheik's eyes stung again, harsher. He pulled his hand free of Skull Kid, pressed both of his palms to his eyes.

"…We went to the desert. Got separated. I don't know what it was, but something started hunting me. Said it could force a bond." He spoke slowly, to keep his voice from shaking. But the tremor in that final sentence…

Skull Kid was frozen.

"It…got close. And he showed up, and I had a chance, so I bound myself to him. Beth—the Poe from the Seventh—said I could force it. And I did. He died not too long after that. Said he met Lanayru. And I don't know _what the fuck_ happened, but I killed another soul and he was back and the Sages were there, and they're all fucking delusional, and he kept going on about how I was _his_ son, and I just—"

Skull Kid had to help him sit down. His head was starting to hurt.

"I fucking hate myself right now."

Skull Kid just patted his shoulder, in that way it did when Sheik was upset over something stupid.

"The Sages are still alive?"

"No. Spirits. The Traitor ripped them back from death. Tied them to the spot where the Mirror is. Did you know about that? That Midna's us? Her people….But the Traitor's alive too. And she went after Link, to make him finish what she started. Tried to force a bond, to tie me to her. And they broke me, and then I was in the Ninth, and I promised her I'd go back, and then we were in fucking Kakriko and the _asshole_ stuck his tongue down my throat and I just—I know it was a bad idea but I need to be away from him, and I know I shouldn't be wasting the time but it just _hurt_, and I'm sorry, but you can't kill him because I need him."

It was a struggle to speak. He could hardly keep straight what it was he was saying and what it was he meant to say, because of the growing pain in his skull. He knew he wasn't making sense, though. He could hear Skull Kid humming a low, tuneless note in the back of its throat as it tried to puzzle out what he meant.

The noise helped. Sheik forced himself to focus on his breathing, the sound. To get rid of all of his panic, his worry, all thoughts of the Traitor and the Ninth and the desert and his father.

"We want you to start from the beginning."

The thought of that alone terrified him, sent the pain in his head surging back for an instant.

"…Can I just…show you instead?" He asked quietly, hesitated. It was a lot to ask of the two of them, he knew, but he just…

He was being weak. Useless. Stupid. A thousand other things he couldn't even—

He just couldn't deal with it anymore. He leaned against Skull Kid, the construct surprisingly sturdy.

"That could break you."

"Fuck that, I'm already fucking—it'll hurt less. And he's not here so—it'll hurt less."

"What hurts?"

"When she…when the Traitor tried to force it, they figured it out first. Beth and Link. Screamed at me to move and with them both in my head and her ripping her way into it I…that's what they say, anyway. I think it's right. Hurts, still, to remember it. She said I had a brother."

Skull Kid was silent. It reached down, pressed a hand to his forehead. He could hardly feel it, though it too soothed the aching in his head. He could feel Skull Kid's magic at work, feel the exhaustion started to overwhelm him.

"Thank you."

_"…Think back. And this doesn't mean we're not going to kill him."_

That was Majora speaking, though, and Sheik just smirked, even as his eyes drifted shut.

Whether what he would show them would change their mind or not, he couldn't let them kill Link. Because he knew _that_ would—even if they killed him after Hyrule was safe—kill him, too. That was the danger of a bond.

"I've missed you, y'know. Thank you." His words slurred, came out as little more than a mumble. Wood brushed his face, and Sheik let sleep sweep him away.

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Majora was furious. And sad. But mostly angry.

Skull Kid was just confused.

Malladus had told it to watch out for Sheik. Veran too, but she'd ordered it to protect Sheik instead once she knew the end was coming. And it had, faithfully. It _liked_ Sheik. Sheik was its friend. No, more than that. Sheik was _family_. Especially then, because all the other Skull Children and Kokiri had fled Hyrule after the second Great Betrayal, when it had chosen to remain with Majora.

Sometimes, though, it knew that Sheik needed violence. So it kept an eye on him, like it always had, but didn't intervene unless Sheik _really_ needed it. Which made Majora angry because Majora had very clear definitions of what was appropriate for children to do, and killing was not on that list, but it _helped_ Sheik. Taught him things he couldn't have learned otherwise, and gave him experience he would need badly in the future.

But when the time had come for Sheik to finally leave, that had been something entirely different. Because then it _couldn't_ protect Sheik.

Majora had said they'd done what they could, but…

And now Sheik wasn't letting them do their job. He insisted that they not kill the Hylian, and he was a _danger—_a _Danger—_to his safety. But in that same breath, he was the only thing keeping Sheik safe, and that just—

Skull Kid couldn't understand that.

Majora hummed, snapping it out of its thoughts, and Skull Kid scrambled over to where they'd put Sheik, after Majora had finished digging around in his memories. They'd covered him with a blanket Skull Kid had made, woven from branches, vines, and other plant matter. And he looked so _small…_

His red eyes flickered open, staring uncomprehendingly at the two of them for a long moment before realization struck him.

Skull Kid nestled in beside him, pressed its face against his shoulder as Sheik sat up.

"Morning." His voice was hoarse, raspy.

"It's been quiet, here."

"I'm sorry." Sheik murmured, and Skull Kid smiled because he was pressing a hand against its back, hugging it as best he could.

"Majora says we'll still kill him if he comes anywhere—"

"No, you won't, but thank you."

"…How long until you have to leave?"

"…This evening? Or the morning. Soon. I've got to fix the Dominion Rod."

"He broke it?!" It sat up, bracings its arms against Sheik's chest as it looked up at him incredulously.

"No, of course not. They scattered its power across Hyrule. Wasn't willing to wait, so I made Link go find out where the other mirror shard is while I took care of it."

It was quiet for a moment, processing what its friend had said, what Majora had shown it. A map of Hyrule with all manner of glowing firefly-like spots on it, different colors and different shapes. Not something Sheik had seen, something Majora had assembled from his memories.

All the Distortions and their Sanctuaries, the runes, the places Sheik would need to go, where he would return one day….

Busy, busy, busy. Reminded Skull Kid of the giants, if it let its mind wander.

But, though Sheik would protect, he would…he wouldn't abandon.

That much Skull Kid had seen clearly, even if Majora hadn't.

"…This doesn't count." It finally huffed. Because that didn't mean it wouldn't worry.

"For what?"

"Your visit. Because it's still going on. But it's nice to see you. We missed you."

"…I missed you too. Both of you. My…head doesn't hurt, though. Did you…?"

"Majora ripped Beth out. You're still fine. She's still fine. And you'll sense her. Just not…bonded, in the same sense you were."

Sheik stared, gaze moving from it to the mask to it and then to the bag at his side and back again.

"The _fuck_ did you do?!"

Skull Kid rolled its eyes, leaned back and tumbled out of Sheik's lap.

Majora had told it not to tell him. So it wouldn't. But Sheik was stupid for not noticing it earlier. And Sheik was usually rather observant, too, so…

"So Malladus is still alive? Awake?"

"I…they think so. I hope so. I mean, I know he couldn't…I know he couldn't _die_, really, but…being that lost to that sort of madness is the same thing. And he promised to take me there. To help."

Sheik was still messed up. Majora had helped, and he was healing, but…talking like they knew what he meant was…

Well, maybe it was just because of the Hero. Maybe Sheik had gotten used to talking to somebody who already knew what he was thinking of, what he was feeling, what he was going to say.

Either way, it didn't like it, and neither did Majora.

"I met one of Majora's disciples. I think there are a few more, still out there. In the desert."

Well that was nice. But they couldn't do anything about it. Not yet. They were still…not serving, but fulfilling their promise. Their contract, Majora called it. Skull Kid thought it more of a game, in all honesty.

"They probably aren't Majora's, anymore. Not since the Deity sent them away." Skull Kid advised, as Sheik stretched his arms above his head, wincing as sore, taxed muscles moved.

"The one I met wasn't. But she died. There are…strange things out there."

"Don't go back alone."

"I won't. I don't want to go back to the canyons, where she is, either, but…"

And that was the stubborn part of Sheik. Wanting—_needing_—to do something that terrified him because he was disgusted with himself for being so afraid of it. He'd done it with killing. Leaving the Ninth. Even approaching the Master Sword, but that was understandable. The Master Sword didn't like _anybody_ but the Hero, and after the last one, not even that. Skull Kid sometimes mocked the Blade of Evil's Bane, when Majora was distracted and wouldn't yell at it.

_"He met Lanayru."_

Both of them turned to look at Majora, lying innocently on a nearby tree stump.

"Says he did. I believe it."

"Oh! And you have a name now!" Skull Kid gasped, clapping its hands to its face so hard its hat fell off, much to Sheik and Majora's amusement.

"Yeah."

"Ala—Alair. It's a silly name." Skull Kid added after a moment, frowning.

"How so?"

"Veran didn't tell you?"

_"Skull Kid…"_ Majora's warning wasn't worth paying attention to, so it didn't. Majora could be so _touchy_. It wasn't like Veran could tell Sheik, now.

Not that Skull Kid would ever stop calling Sheik _Sheik_. It was his name. The last true Lokomo in existence, most likely the last pureblooded Sheikah. Even with Malladus' and Veran's blood in his veins, his little nickname carried the weight of all of that. Alair didn't.

"Tell me what?" Sheik asked slowly, and Skull Kid picked up its hat as it answered.

"It's old Ikanan. Sort even the dead there don't remember. Veran went there with her teacher, once."

"…What does it mean?" There was a sort of trepidation in Sheik's eyes, if only because Majora was throwing a temper tantrum behind it. Shooting its anger and a warning at Skull Kid's back like it was a bad thing.

"She and Malladus picked it out. Because it was what they wanted for your future. Us too! It's just a silly name." The Kokiri named themselves after the first sounds they spoke, when they were born. Skull Children had no use for names. They'd used to, a long time ago, before the Hero of Time was the Hero of Time and there was a reason to be called something different than their brethren, but Skull Kid didn't really remember that very well. It had spent most of its time looking for Termina, then. And for the giants.

"What does it mean?" Sheik repeated.

Skull Kid smiled. It wasn't a stupid name, just silly. But it was a good one, it was willing to admit.

"Happy."

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It was easier than he'd thought it would be, leaving Majora and Skull Kid again. It wasn't as if the Ninth wasn't home anymore, with Veran gone. Majora and Skull Kid were both still there.

It just…he knew it was time to go, that night. Link was probably already in some deep shit with the Zora, and he still had the runes to collect. Sheik wanted to get it done before Link returned. And though parting with his family—because that was what Majora and Skull Kid were, to him—was hard, it was easier. He'd still return.

And, honestly, if he'd have stayed any longer Majora might have tried to break his bond to Link and _that_ was not something Sheik was willing to endure.

He batted another branch out of the way, realizing dimly that he was tracing the same path he'd taken the first time he'd left the Grove. Even the path he followed around it, barley managing to stay out of the water, was the same.

The gates were the same as they'd been the last time. Sort of. Someone had reinforced them again, and there were thick oak logs lying in the spring's sand, waiting for the craftsman to return.

Epona would be somewhere nearby. Probably still in Faron, where he'd left her. Not, of course, that Sheik would look for the damn thing.

The Twilit magic still stained the sky above the spring, and he eyed it critically.

He kept expecting Link to speak, tumble out of the undergrowth and whine about going home, to Ordon. To comment on every little thing going on around them, from the bugs zooming across the water to the moonlight pouring in from behind Midna's magic.

He shuddered to himself, and set to work unlatching the gate.

He'd no idea how the repairer managed to work the damn thing. A Goron would have no trouble, but it was _heavy_. He barely managed to slide the bar out of its place, and dragging the thing open took up far more time than it should have.

It occurred to him only after he'd finished opening the gap enough for him to slip through that he probably could've just climbed over.

He remembered mocking Link for doing the exact same thing in the desert, and—

Sheik wrenched his thoughts away from the Hero. Anytime he found himself focusing on him, he ended up reaching out for his mind, and Link could always feel that, and Link hadn't reached out for him in a while, so he was dead set on savoring the peace.

He wasn't lonely, and he _didn't_ miss the Hero. At _all_.

He reached for the pack hanging from his shoulder, felt the press of metal through the cloth. Beth hadn't even appeared, after Majora had…done whatever Majora had done. She still glowed, as did the other lamps he'd found, but she didn't materialize. He was more than a little worried about it…but his head wasn't hurting at all, as long as he didn't focus on what had happened in Kakariko, and…that was a fucking blessing.

Well worth dealing with Link, when they finally reunited.

There was the drumming of hooves, he realized, coming closer, and he took a step back from the gate, to the side. Epona could jump—Sheik had, unfortunately, learned firsthand—pretty damn high, but she also liked squeezing into places that looked too small for her, like the gap he'd opened up.

Something smashed into the gate, driving it halfway open before becoming stuck, against the bar Sheik had removed and the sand that sprayed everywhere with the violence behind it.

Sheik had a moment to stare, shocked, as a massive Bulbin skidded to a halt in the spring, a pair of Moblins on its back armed to the _teeth_.

The Bulbin turned, its riders spotting him, even as a dozen more Moblins and another Bulbin poured into the spring.

And they were _coated_ in magic.

In _her_ magic.

They charged immediately, snarling and swinging clubs and blunted blades. He barely managed to dive out of the way before the lead Bulbin trampled the place he'd been standing—his palms splashed into the spring's waters, and he snarled as it began to burn, sear like fire as it soaked his bandages, touched his flesh.

He jerked himself backwards, still on the ground, and rammed straight into a startled Moblin. He swung a blade free and slashed its throat as he regained his footing, forcing himself to stand and—

He reached for his magic instinctively, calling on spells Veran had drilled into his head as he fell back, narrowly avoiding being clubbed in the face by the rider of the second Bulbin.

The last thing he had been expecting was a fight, and it showed badly in how unprepared he was. And it was _infuriating_.

Sheik lunged at the same Bulbin that had first charged him, not willing to wait for it to recover from its exertion, and tore his blade across its throat. The dagger caught, hilt-deep in muscle and thick hide halfway through the beast's neck, and Sheik swore as his arm was wrenched backwards, barely managing to let go of it in time to avoid being trampled by the creature's gurgling death throes.

Nope. He was too smooth for that. Instead, he caught the flat of a blade on the back of his legs and went down _hard_.

Something landed on top of him, heavy and crushing the air from his lungs, and he writhed, managing to flip around and—_shit_, that was a knife—

He caught the blade in his hands, hissing at the pain as he tried to keep the creature from running him through with it, and it cut _deep_ into his palms and black spots were beginning to dance in the air around him—

The pain was something new. How intense it was. Worse than being stabbed by the Darknut, in the Temple of Time. Like fire, searing and scorching his nerves—probably severing them but—

He screamed out the spell with the last of his air when the Moblin shifted, wiry muscles bulging as the blade sank _deeper—_and they were coming, all of the Moblins, the entire horde, weapons raised and ready to fall and—

—and he—

And he _felt_ the world implode, more than he saw it.

One minute he could see, and the next the earth shook, wind screamed in his ears—or maybe it was the Moblins, he couldn't tell—and his vision went absolutely dark. His body felt light, fuzzy, like there was a heat in his lungs and a growing faintness in his head—and the weight on his chest disappeared, the blade tearing out of his hands and Sheik fought desperately for air, body curling inwards involuntarily.

And he could feel Link, for a moment, so clearly it was as if the Hero was right beside him and _shit—_

He _loathed _how comforting that was, even if Link was reeling from Sheik's own panic and fear and confusion. But he couldn't breathe and his hands _hurt_, and he could feel his magic draining like nothing else and—

He realized there was screaming, _real_ screaming, things shouting and panicking and dying and hot liquid splashing his face, his arms as he slowly started breathing again. He could smell it, the violence, the death.

Link receded, and Sheik's disorientation faded shortly after, air coming freely to his lungs.

He found himself staring at a bloody pulp, a trampled Moblin that had been slashed to pieces. It took a little bit to get himself up, with his injured hands burning and oozing blood, but—

It was absolute carnage, around him. Worse than what Link had done in the mountains, or before in Faron because _this _was…

The Bulbin he'd attacked was still twitching, eyes glassy. The other was keening to itself, crumpled in the Light Spring, surrounded by a cloudy pool of its dark blood as the liquid mixed with the water. Broken hooves twitched, kicked as it struggled to breathe, organs spilling out of a gash in its stomach.

Bits of Moblin—arms, legs, heads, bone and gore—coated the sand. There was so much _blood_….

He could smell something strange, thick and oily and smoky, and he looked up, towards the Bulbin in the spring and—

"Li…" His voice died in his throat, because _Lanayru's tits—_

He had—he'd called on the shadows. Not like he had in the desert, but like Veran had taught him. Reaching for something until it reached back and offered its aide and that had been—

He'd taken _Link's_ shadow.

It stood in the middle of the spring, in front of the Bulbin, a shadowy replica of the Master Sword dangling limply from its hand as it stared at the creature. Its form included clothes, and the edges of its shadowy tunic fluttered, tattered and bloodstained in the wind. Its head was bowed, twitching side to side slightly, but otherwise it stood motionless, even as the spring's magic seared and burned at it.

Fuck.

_Fuck._

He was so fucked. He was fucking _fucked_.

"Hey. Come here. Come on. You gotta get out of there." Sheik spoke softly, calmly as he stepped into the spring. And that fucking _hurt_, but the shadow didn't fight him—followed him out of the spring without even looking at him, though its gaze did roam around aimlessly, sliding over him like glass.

The minute they were out of the water, Sheik's legs gave out and he started praying under his breath as he hit the blood-soaked sand, landing in a gory mess of a Moblin's chest.

He ignored it, though it was disgusting. The pain was more of an immediate issue. He unwound his bandages, getting the wet cloth off of him even as Lanayru's magic enveloped his core, soothing the ache of the spring's power and helping stop the corruption.

He fucking _hated_ Light magic. He'd have gladly welcomed Zelda into his core again, because that hadn't hurt _nearly_ as bad and—he could barely move his hands, barely twitch his fingers and he hated—

A thick, ice-cold swath of shadow fell over him, crawling over his flesh and covering the places burning with the spring's magic, the deep cuts on his hands.

There was a sharp, intense burst of pain, so quick and so violent—he screamed, spine arcing in agony and for a second time the world blacked out, though he came to nearly immediately as the pain receded, finding himself flat on his back in organs and flesh and—he needed to stop thinking. But he could curl his hands into fists without feeling much besides a bone-deep soreness and a faint pain, and he could feel skin, not bone and flesh and blood. A scar, thick and ugly, but…he wasn't cut anymore.

The Shadow was staring down at him, form shivering and solidifying as the shadows enveloping Sheik slithered their way back to it. The only color on it was its eyes, glittering balls of red light studying him closely.

It only looked vaguely like Link. Stronger build, taller, different facial structure. It took Sheik a long moment, lying where he was and panting, exhausted and his hands still throbbing, to recognize it.

"What the _fuck?_"

Glittering white teeth flashed at him, when the shadow smirked.

"No seriously, I'm done with this shit! Thanks for the—whatever the fuck that was—but you're fucking—you can't tell me the Temple isn't still standing!"

The Shadow knelt slowly beside him, helped him sit up. And before Sheik could spew anything else out because he was absolutely _done_ with dead people popping out of the fucking woodworks even if the Shadow _wasn't_ dead, or alive, or—

It—_he—_reached down with his free hand and started writing in the sand.

_No voice. Can you read?_

"Well no shit I can read. You're writing in Sheikah, which seriously how the fuck, but—"

_Demon blew the temple to shit. Ruins now. Stayed anyway. Promised the Three._

"Then how the fuck did you end up in Link's shadow—or as Link's shadow or—holy fuck, Midna's been hanging out _inside you_ for—" Sheik cut himself off, knowing his eyes were round as fucking saucers but _holy shit_ that realization was—

"Midna's going to fucking kill me. And you. And Link. And holy _shit!"_

_Was asleep. Felt it. What is she?_

"A—she's a—_fuck_, she calls herself Twilit. Descended from the Gerudo and Sheikah." He spoke slowly, trying to order his thoughts while the Shadow scrubbed out what he'd written quickly and began writing again.

_How?_

Sheik winced at that. But the Shadow was intent, motionless and honestly—

"…She said the Sages told her it was the…some of the Sages and Ganondorf tried to save the Sheikah and Gerudo by sending them away from Hyrule, magically. Into another realm. Their magic was…fucked up. They eventually became what she is now."

The Shadow was still for a moment, contemplating.

_…Scars healed well._

Sheik looked away, at that. The image of that room, cold and dank and filled with rot, overflowing with the growl and snarl and reaching claws of countless wolfos—

"Fuck." There was a lump in his throat. It hurt, when he swallowed, tears aching in the corners of his eyes.

He'd thought he'd stopped crying over Malladus. He was getting sort of sick of constantly doing so.

Fingers tapped his knee, and he looked back at the Shadow.

_Not scared?_

"Of Wolfos?"

The Shadow nodded, dipping his head quickly.

"Everybody's gotta be scared of something."

_And the Hero? Changing?_

"Lanayru—what, am I scared of Link? No shit. Makes my skin crawl when he changes, never mind all the other shit. But it's getting better, as long as it's just him. Mostly because he doesn't leave it the fuck alone. Not that he will ever find out." Sheik added pointedly, drawing his legs to his chest. The Shadow's shoulders shook.

"How did you even end up with him, anyway? His shadow." He asked softly, and the Shadow stilled. Wrote very slowly.

_You woke me up. Gave me form. Demon killed everyone I didn't, before passing. I couldn't sleep. Your magic is very strong, little one. Not so little now, though._

"Been years. Better not be. So, what? You spent those…centuries awake? Trapped in the Temple?" The Shadow nodded.

"I'm sorry." He meant it. The realization that he'd forced _anything_ to suffer ages awake and unable to rest, to watch as—

_Fuck_, he was horrible.

_Not sorry. Your Hero would have died otherwise. Gave him my voice, he had none._

"…You probably should've kept it. That'd make it so much easier to deal with him now." Sheik was only partially joking. The Shadow smirked again, teeth glittering, and Sheik frowned.

"How do you have teeth?"

_Stole a body._

"Skeleton? Not one of ours, right?"

_Charges? No. Not Sheikah either. Used to be mine. Technically._

"So there's a corpse inside of all that shadow."

_Just bones. Helps fighting. Moving._

"…I am sorry. For calling you. I'd—"

_Came of my own free will. You are fine. Where's the Hero?_

"…Snowpeak. Past the Zora's Domain."

And fuck, the look he got at that—

_Why are you not with him?_

"Because he's an asshole. And I'm fixing the Dominion Rod. But mostly because he's an asshole."

_Did he hurt you?_

"No."

_Kill a Sheikah?_

"W—_no. _Fuck, no. They'll probably kill him, but—no, he's just—he's just an asshole." Sheik barely managed to catch himself, from saying anything else. Majora really must have done some work, with getting Beth out of his head. Or maybe the shock of what had happened was just catching up with him.

_You're bonded._

"Not his fault. I forced it. Not happy about it, but I did it. And he's _clingy_." He tried to stand up as he spoke—and the world swam, darkened. He hit the mess beneath him with a thump, wincing as his fingers brushed a wad of wet bandages.

And he was lifted up, all of a sudden, further disorienting him because—

"Hey, no, put me down! I left my blade and—holy _shit. _That's…that's a lot of blood. Link's gonna _kill_ me." The Shadow shifted his shoulder, forcing Sheik's head down and taking the view of the spring—quite possibly the most horrible thing he'd ever seen _ever_ even shrouded in darkness_—_and the bodies oozing over every inch of it away. Sheik squirmed—not that the Shadow was _cold_, but he made of shadows and that wasn't very comfortable mostly because both of them were still covered in _yuck_—and tried to get down but the Shadow shifted again, tightening his grip.

"How'd you do that to them anyway? Rip them apart like—_fuck_, that's—did you know Veran?" The Shadow tilted his head to the side, fingers bent awkwardly to avoid impaling Sheik's leg with the massive claws he'd shaped out of his hands. They tapped his thigh, sharp enough to cut slices through his clothing without much effort, and glittered sharply in the moonlight.

"Asshole. Now put me down."

The Shadow laughed silently, teeth flashing again as the claws melted away, as he shook his head. Sheik's eyes narrowed, and suddenly they were out of the woods, on a wooden bridge swaying above a chasm and Sheik swallowed hard, hating not being on his own feet—and realized, when the stars started blurring at the slight, steady rocking of the bridge and the Shadow, that there was no way he could walk.

"…Am I poisoned?" A nod answered his question.

"How come I don't feel anything?" The Shadow sighed, shooting him a look, and Sheik stared back blankly and more than a little unsettled before it dawned on him.

The Shadow had soothed his physical hurts and pains, healed his wounds, but with…_far_ more potent magic than Sheik had thought possible. Not a spell, or—fuck, _anything_ normal. The Shadow had healed him with _literal fucking shadows_. Which meant they were in his core, and in his body, and the Light magic was still fucking around somewhere there too. And they were not happy forces, when together. Other than Midna, but that was different because Gerudo magic wasn't _Light_, not really.

"His horse is somewhere in Faron. She's got my stuff. Y'know, what you didn't _ditch_. You'll need Veran's cloak…it'll keep the sun from harming you, if you wear it. Until I recover. I don't know if I can send you back. Do you _want_ to go back?" Sheik spoke quietly, slowly after a long silence.

The Shadow paused, just stepping off of the bridge, and then shook his head. Sheik was really hating the lack of verbal response—the Shadow couldn't shut him up. Not that he didn't _want_ to know if the Shadow preferred to stay or not, but he was so fucking talkative it was…he didn't like it. And he couldn't stop himself so—

"Then you'll need the cloak. Just don't fuck it up, please." The Shadow responded with a shrug, and Sheik shifted again so that he wasn't so much of a burden.

He reached out to Link slowly, hesitantly. It was _hard_, but…

Link grabbed for him immediately, concerned and startled and more than a little afraid. Which hurt a little, but it was…mostly fine.

And he was asleep before he could even process how bone-tired he was.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Thank you." Sheik muttered it into the Shadow's shoulder, refusing to look at how absolutely _pissed_ Epona was. She absolutely fucking loved the Shadow, so Sheik hadn't had a problem letting the Shadow lead her, because then they could actually get to where they needed to go without clinging onto her and praying she was smart enough to figure it out. She had also been fine with that. She just didn't like the two of them touching.

The Shadow had made Sheik sit in front of him, with one of Veran's books opened to a blank page—and Sheik had checked for any sort of spell to make sure there _really_ wasn't anything on it—and a couple sticks of charcoal. Sheik had stolen them from Shad before leaving Kakariko, as the scholar treated them to last and they'd proved useful for writing on his map. The Shadow hadn't been using it much—Sheik hadn't been talking, besides to point out directions. He still hadn't recovered, but the sky wasn't spinning anymore, and he counted that as a very good thing.

_Your name? _Veran's cloak rustled as he moved, covering his hand and smudging the words a little bit as the shadow it was made of adjusted to keep the sun off of him.

"Sheik. That's not…it's what I prefer to be called." He wasn't comfortable with anyone calling him Alair yet. Majora, sure, Skull Kid, sure. But that was…too private for anyone else. Even Link—and thank Lanayru Link was fine calling him Sheik, because _that_ would have been…too much.

"Do you have one? Or something you'd prefer to be called? Because at this point I'm just going to tell Link you're his shadow and leave it at that. Midna might yell at you, though." Sheik took the charcoal back as he asked, tucking it into the book's binding.

The Shadow shook his head, shifting as he spurred Epona into a gallop. Sheik muttered a curse and tensed, but didn't do anything else.

They'd been running around Hyrule Field for…three days? Four. And they only had two runes left, not counting the one in the desert. Which was _great_, because Sheik could feel Link getting antsy—they didn't have all that long left before they'd have to meet up again. He wanted to have it _done_.

A great, hulking mass of stone swelled on the horizon in front of them—the ruins of the Bridge of Eldin. According to the map, that was where the next rune was located.

Even from where they were, though, he could see the fires burning around it, and within the towers. It was a defensive fortification—built for what, Sheik had no idea—that had been long abandoned. Moblins had taken up residence in it, it appeared. The Shadow seemed to notice it too, judging by the sudden eagerness in him, when he pushed Epona faster.

"Are you going to kill these ones like the last ones?" Sheik couldn't help but ask. The Shadow slowed the horse down just long enough to scribble an answer down.

_Like fighting. Like killing. That bad?_

"Is it…no. Of course not. As long as you can restrain yourself, anyway. Just—you've got the sword, right? Why bother with anything else? Do you prefer using the shadows to it?" The Shadow paused for a moment, then nodded.

Well. As long as he could keep his bloodlust under control, Sheik didn't care. Violence didn't really bother him, though _fuck—_after the spring he'd spent _hours_ bathing in Faron's river. It had been worse than the dead in the Ninth, and that had been _disgusting_.

He preferred his blades all the same—though he was still pissed he'd lost some in the spring. Not just the one he'd gotten stuck in the Bulbin, but two more had come out of his bandages when he'd unwrapped them. _And_ he'd lost his bandages, and absolutely ruined his clothes. He only had one set left, and he _refused_ to wear Link's when they were doing anything that required fighting or adventuring or whatever the fuck Link called it. Hylian clothing was too loose for him to feel comfortable, especially when fighting.

He could make his own, but the amount of time that would take and the supplies he would need to get…_and_ he needed more bandages badly, as well as some new blades. But the only place he could get that would be Castle Town and the thought of going back into that mess of a place—

Well, at least not without Link.

"I don't have a bow, so when they start firing at us we're fucked." The Shadow responded by handing him the reins, and immediately Epona jerked her head around to look at Sheik balefully.

"Don't' even fucking _think_ about it—" And she didn't, thank Lanayru, but she looked even angrier than she had before. It was getting _bad_, if he could tell a fucking _horse_ was pissed.

The Moblins had spotted them, and were darting around the Bridge like flies—though now Sheik could clearly see them. Only a few more feet and they would be within shooting range.

A second later there was a snap from behind him and a black blur shot past him, impaling one of the Moblins through the chest and sending it toppling off of the tower it had been clinging too.

Sheik almost looked over his shoulder, but a rapid succession of shots rained down over him and the last thing he needed was to get his face shot off for turning at the wrong second. The Shadow was firing them more rapidly than any mortal could have, and the bolts were dissipating beneath the sunlight, burning away like smoke after inflicting their damage.

Epona reared up, skidding to a halt in front of a trio of fallen stones, and Sheik took the opportunity to slide off of her while the Shadow paused in his shooting.

He hit the ground with a thump, not even trying to be graceful as he rolled through the grass away from the horse. He got to his feet quickly, though, and darted over the stones, his blade going deep into the throat of the Moblin hiding behind them.

And he didn't fuck up throughout the battle, _finally_. The Shadow leapt off of Epona and charged the screeching Moblins rushing towards them, and Sheik took the opportunity to dart into the nearest tower.

Really, there weren't that many of the creatures anyway. Little more than a skeleton crew.

One charged him immediately, clumsy and swinging a notched, scratched sword wildly. Sheik took it down easily, and picked up the sword. It was poorly crafted and far lighter than it should've been, but it would do—he was terrified of loosing another one of his daggers.

He was halfway up the stairs when a hand fell on his hip—clean, thank the fucking Three—and the Shadow slipped past him, charging up the stairs like it was nothing.

Sheik stopped, glared at the wild grin the Shadow shot over his shoulder, and turned around.

The Moblins outside had been taken care of. Epona was nosing through their corpses—which seriously, _what the fuck—_and Sheik avoided them completely, after he'd retrieved the Rod and the book from Epona. She nipped at him irritably, but didn't do anything else.

He turned, surveying the bridge. It led straight into the canyons—but it was missing. The entire expanse of it was gone, leaving only the towers and a small portion at either end remaining. Sheik approached the edge carefully, looked down over the lip of the canyon to stare at the stone below. It hadn't fallen or broken—though he couldn't see the bottom of the canyon, the bricks left behind were all smooth. And faint remnants of the corruption's power clung to the rock, faded with time.

He cursed, _pissed_. They'd have to ride all the way around Hyrule, to get to the canyons. Or cut through Castle Town, but like _fuck_ he was doing that.

Maybe they could wait for Link and Midna? She could get them across. But…

A body fell out of the tower the Shadow was still in, hitting the dirt beside Sheik without so much as a screech. Sheik looked up, saw the Shadow wave an arm out of the window. It immediately began burning—he'd taken the cloak off—and the arm retracted quickly. Sheik rolled his eyes, turning to look at the other tower.

And there was the owl statue he was looking for, blocking the entrance to the second tower. But the rune was etched into the stone beside it, glowing faintly in the sunlight. There were scratch marks around it.

The Moblins had blocked off the tower entrance. Sheik eyed it warily. Those statues were _heavy_. He'd tried to move it, but hadn't been able to. They must have been _really_ terrified, to manage to move it. The campfires they'd built, and their makeshift bedrolls—all were near the other tower. Not this one.

He dropped the book with the open page on the rune, crouching—making sure he was _far_ away from the statue. The statue, like all those he'd seen, had a hole in the middle of it, like the statues in the Seventh—where the Rod's magic would nest, if Sheik were to use it on it.

He couldn't see anything through it, though. Just darkness.

He glanced at the Rod, saw the rune was gone. And there was a flash of red through the statue, and the howling started.

Strange, trumpet-like, echoing and fluttering, the sound was pleasant. Sheik had no idea what it signified, and he grabbed the book and backpedaled as quickly as he could as a second and a third voice joined the first.

He'd gotten off of the stone and into a thick knot of grass when the statue smashed into the ground, breaking on impact as something shot out of the entryway and tackled him.

Less violent than he'd thought it would be, as it smashed him into the grass. The only thing Sheik could see was a network of red magic glittering sharply in front of something black and it dipped down—

—and started nubbing at his shoulder. Sheik didn't know what else to call it. It wasn't biting, but it was just sort of poking at his scars with something smooth and rubbery—he didn't have all that many bandages left, and had refrained from wrapping his arms—without doing anything.

Two more of the things crawled out from behind the first, cries softer and more inquisitive, and started poking at him too.

They looked like Moblins, almost. They walked on four limbs, but used the front too as arms. Black and marked with dull grey patterns, they had large, flat disc-shaped heads that glowed with a network of red magic and long black tendrils that dangled from behind the disc.

The red magic ached with the corruption's power. Whatever they were, they'd been cursed.

"If you try to stab any of them I will stab you." Sheik shouted, catching a flutter of shadow out of the corner of his eye, and the Shadow paused with his blade raised above one of the creature's heads. The creatures, thankfully, didn't seem to notice.

The Shadow strode over to Epona, and returned scribbling in the book, readjusting the cloak as he did so. Sheik sat up, hesitantly touching the corruption's power with his own. It was active magic, constantly working to keep the creatures in the form they were in, but it wasn't sentient—and it was only thinly connected to its caster. There was a chance he could free the creature without alerting Zant. That'd be…good. He'd love the chance to speak to a Twilit that _wasn't_ Midna.

Fingers tapped his free shoulder—the first creature was still clinging to his other—and Sheik looked up.

_The fuck are they?_

"I think they're Twilit. There might be more in the tower…not sure. Don't go in there! I'm gonna—I want to try to break their curse." The Shadow stared at him for a moment. One of the Twilit approached him and started tugging at the cloak, apparently interested.

_No._

Sheik rolled his eyes, and pressed a hand to the Twilit clinging to his shoulder.

_If you get cursed?_

"I'll probably die. Twilit's got Light magic in it. Or at least Midna does, because of Zelda. But I'm not going to turn into a mutt like Link does. If I don't die it'll probably stunt my magic or something."

_Not happening_.

"Bullshit." Sheik retorted, and the Shadow took a threatening step forward.

Sheik moved his hand from the creature's bony shoulder to its head, touching the disc where the magic seemed centered.

The thing squealed, when Sheik hooked his power around the corruption, and let go of his arm.

It was a crude, _very_ crude, version of the shadow magic Link possessed. Not as seamless and nowhere _near_ as powerful. Sheik managed to yank it out without much trouble—the thing came out like a weed, roots and all.

And, like Link's, it coalesced into a large black crystal etched in red lines. The Shadow caught it, smacking Sheik upside the head as he did so. Sheik reached up, snagged the edge of the cloak and pulled it over the creature, to keep the sun off of it. And then realized the other two were changing as well.

There was a frantic scramble, to get the creatures into the cover of the tower before they burned. The Shadow slung two of them over his shoulders and stalked inside. Sheik managed to get the third inside shortly afterwards.

The whole time, they were surrounded by a cloud of blue-black rectangles resembling Midna's magic very closely. Sheik took that to mean that they _were_ Twilit.

The Shadow was giving him a look, pulling the cloak off and hanging it over the doorway.

"I'm not sorry. But we probably should've brought them back in here first." The Shadow lashed out, trying to smack him again, and Sheik ducked.

He pulled Beth's lantern out, tapping it gently until she came out and lit the room with her black light. She looked at him, very clearly unsettled. And refused to look away.

"I promise I didn't ask Majora." He said quietly, and she turned, floating up the stairs leading up into the tower without even acknowledging he'd spoken.

Well.

"…_who… you?"_

It wasn't Hylian that the creature spoke in. It was Sheikah, twisted and broken and barely recognizable. Sheik turned to face the speaker—the creature's magic had settled and was no longer visible, and two of them lay where the Shadow had set them, fire-colored orbs watching him intently, though they didn't move.

The one that had spoken was sitting up, leaning against the wall behind it. It had a shock of silver hair cut short around its head, and was visibly older than the other two.

They looked like Hylians, with elongated limbs and necks. Their skin was marbled, like Midna's, in grey and black with glowing blue tattoos. They were _tall_, Sheik realized. Or, would be, if they were standing. And naked, but that was to be expected.

"Sheik. Are you…Twilit?" He used the Hylian word for it. It had been a _very_ long since he'd spoken Sheikah.

"_Yes. Called Carben. Brother Gage, brother Embrose. You…saved us?"_ The Twilit, Carben, touched a hand to each of the others heads as he spoke. The one to his left, with a long mane of orange hair, was Embrose. The one to his right, with hair so dark it was barely visible in the shadows he lay in, was Gage.

"I broke the curse. I am sorry for not doing so in the shade. I'd forgotten your kind can't stand the sunlight."

The three exchanged looks at that.

"_Forgotten?"_

"I know your Queen. Midna. She was…blessed. She can survive daylight."

_"Midna? Alive?!"_ All three of them tried to stand at that and all of them but Carben collapsed. The Shadow stepped forward, caught Gage before he hit the ground. Sheik sort of caught Embrose, but the Twilit's weight sent both of them crashing to the ground.

"Did Zant tell you she was dead?"

"_The Usurper!"_ The word was spat out like a curse, and Embrose pushed himself off of Sheik so hard as he spoke he hit the wall hard enough to bruise.

_"She lives?"_ Carben asked, reaching out and grabbing Sheik's shoulder.

"She's with the H…the blue-eyed beast. They are fixing the Mirror of Twilight."

A round of amazing looks went around this time. The Shadow batted Carben's hands free, gave Sheik quite possibly the strangest look possible, and strode upstairs.

"_What…that?"_

"The Shadow? Not really sure. Ally." Sheik had no idea how to explain it, but Carben seemed to accept that.

"_Usurper cursed us. We…Midna's guardians. Would not submit. Killed many. Destroyed bridge...Light-Dwellers crossing it fell…"_ Carben trailed off, looking down. They had no idea what Hyrule was, like Zant had. Like Midna had. And they were still concerned with its people.

But, well…shit. The Ninth was broken up around there too, like it was across the entire plains. The seals kept things out, but that close to that much power…those bodies wouldn't stay still long. And who knew how long ago the bridge had been taken?

"Have the corpses moved?"

"…_what?"_

"I am…guardian of the dead. They wake, here. Powerful. Usurper threatens us, and them. They will not sleep until he falls, but they can do great damage while waking."

"_…we…we do not know. Long fall. They…wake? Walk?"_

"Beth?"

She dropped out of the stone above their heads, spiraling down to land on Sheik's lap. The Twilit jerked back, startled, but she kept her scythe down.

"Called Poe. Name is Beth. Some dead become Poe. Others walk. Others…crawl." He wasn't sure he wanted to describe a Dead Hand to them. They all looked a little unsettled already.

_"Shadow…dead?"_

"No. Shadow is shadow."

"_…Midna safe?"_

"Cursed. But safe. The blue-eyed beast won't let any harm come to her."

_"You know Blue-Eyed Beast?" _Gage asked, speaking slowly, with far better pronunciation than his companions.

"…He's my mutt."

_"Why you here?"_

"Needed to cross the bridge. Wanted to see if I could break your curse. I'd…like to ask you some questions, once this is over."

"_Must protect Queen. Brothers…Sisters…all cursed. Know their fate?"_

"I know some of them are dead. I don't know where the others are, or where they would be."

The Twilit all bowed their heads, absolutely silent for a moment. Beth went back to her lantern, letting the light illuminate the room but disappearing herself. Sheik stood.

And the entire tower _shook_, suddenly and violently. Sheik felt a surge in the corrupt magic, and the Twilit struggled to get up, shouting for Sheik to give them a weapon as their magic pooled in their hands.

The Usurper stepped down the stairs calmly, lazily.

"What a strange creature you are. No pet, this time? Tell me, has Midna tired of your presence already?" Zant purred. Sheik's skin crawled. _What had he done with the Shadow?_

"_Can't…win. Only blue-eyed beast can. We—"_

"_Silence_!" Zant roared, absolutely _furious_ as he flung an arm towards the Twilit. All three of them slammed into the wall behind them, held up by some invisible force. It wasn't strangling them, thankfully, but it was very clear that they couldn't move.

Well, fuck.

"I can't stand leaders who betray their people, you know." Sheik still spoke in Sheikah—he just wasn't butchering the language to make himself easier to understand anymore.

Zant studied him silently for a moment before responding in Hylian.

"Then you do yourself no favors aiding Midna, creature. I've made our people _stronger_. _Better_."

"No, you've cursed them. Turned them into mindless beasts. Modeling them after yourself?" He didn't try to fight Zant's power and release the Twilit. That would start something he doubted he could get away from. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to escape the situation _now_.

"…Where did Midna find you, creature? Your power is…peculiar."

Sheik stepped back when the Usurper reached towards him, and Zant stopped, arm upraised.

Sheik did deflect the Usurper's power, when it reached towards his core. The bastard had no need to know anything about Sheik…and anything he did find out could lead him to any other survivors.

"You love her, still. Did you think she would change her mind after spending a few days here? Weeks? Months?"

Zant's arm fell, body tensing as he straightened.

"Do you think these Light-Dwellers are innocent, creature?"

That surprised Sheik. Had Zant discovered what they had? Did he know where the Twilit had come from, what the Hylians had done to them?

"No. But that is for the Three to judge, not a madman."

"…Do you think she will be able to kill you? Or her pet? Before you end their lives?"

A thick crystal glittering with red magic shot towards Sheik, obviously meant to impale him. Sheik hit the ground and it shattered against the stone behind him, and he wasted no time in rolling towards the tower door and tearing Veran's cloak down. The amount of magic needed to create one of the crystals was immense, and Zant had released the Twilit as he'd done so. Carben's gaze met Sheik, and Sheik felt a great deal of magic escape the Twilit as he spoke.

_"Bridge…run. Hold Usurper. Little time!"_

Sheik opened his mouth to say something—to refuse, to help them—but Gage had already collapsed with a scimitar in his chest, eyes closed as his lips moved. Casting the spell. Carben just smiled at him, the vicious, proud smile of a freed warrior.

And then the Shadow's blade slashed across Zant's helmet, shrieking along its length before cutting deeply into his shoulder.

The Shadow had leapt with the attack, and rolled through the air over Zant, tearing the blade free with a wet squelch while the Usurper screamed in pain and rage.

_"Run!" _Embrose charged Zant, ducking beneath the Shadow.

Something caught Sheik's braid and tugged, yanking him out of the tower. He cursed, reaching back to free himself from whatever was holding him and—

The Shadow tore out of the tower, blade disappearing as he started to burn in the sunlight—faded, now.

It was twilight.

And the missing bridge was there, spectral and lined with brilliant blue runes. Sheik's fingers met warm hide and he tilted his head back, realizing Epona had hold of him. She let go—and something grabbed his waist and he cried out in protest when he was slung over Epona's back.

And then she was off, and he could feel the Dominion Rod slipping from where he'd bound it to his hip and smell the Shadow scorching and hear the Usurper's screaming and the sounds of battle—

"They're—"

And he knew they were dead anyway, already dying and even if the Shadow could hurt Zant, there was no way that he could kill him, and killing him was the only way to get him to stop. Sheik knew he was fucking _powerless_, but they were—

—and Midna was going to kill him and—

He'd managed to sit up, awkwardly and more than a little painfully as Epona raced across the bridge, and he faced the Shadow and he didn't—

The Shadow touched his cheek, pushed his face into his chest and Sheik realized he was crying. Furious, so angry he was shaking.

There was a crack, a sound like thunder, and when the Shadow finally let him look up, the tower was gone, stones falling into the chasm stained dark with blood and clouds of dust swallowing everything in sight. The bridge flickered, faded slowly out of sight behind them.

And though he strained to make anything out, through the dust and falling debris, there was nothing. He couldn't even feel the Usurper's power, any longer.

It took a moment to pull the cloak out from where it was wedged and pull it over the Shadow.

"Did he…do anything to you? You were up there when he came down." The Shadow shook his head, and pushed Sheik's head back down.

"I'm gonna make Midna give me an hour alone with that son of a bitch, before they kill him." He whispered.

And the Shadow laughed, if briefly.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"No, the Seven—the Temple of Time. Your Temple wasn't a distortion. You seriously couldn't tell? There were Hylians _living_ there. Malladus sent me home. Veran raised me there."

Asking questions about the Sheikah's childhood was proving more confusing than he'd expected it to be.

But, honestly, he hadn't known a thing about Hyrule's current situation, or previous ones. He'd been dying when the war had happened, and long before that. Ninety-five percent of his life had been erased and just about everything he'd lived through had never technically happened, and resolving what hadn't happened with what had and what was going on _now_ was more of a mess than he'd thought it would be.

_So you lived in the Temple of Time?_

"Yes."

_What about its guardian?_

The kid's eyes went wide, and he leaned back a touch on the log he sat on.

"Majora's…Majora and Skull Kid were there. They'd known Malladus. Or didn't see us as a threat. Never been very sure about that part. But they let us in. They've always been close. Like family."

For fuck's sake, the things the kid considered family—

_And that man? His power _hurt.

"You?"

_No._

And there was no way in Hyrule he was going to expand on that.

He'd told Farore he'd make amends for what had happened. Not for what he'd done, but what the bastard had done. And Nayru had made him the guardian of the Forest Temple in memory of what had been done there.

So he could see things, sense things. And the man—whatever the fuck he was, it wasn't what the creatures had been. Not anymore, anyway. His magic _hurt_, soured against Hyrule's own like acid.

And the bridge—that power had been _natural_. Long missed by Hyrule itself.

It was a good thing, that the kid had summoned him.

But _fuck_, if it had been _any_ other Sheikah, or a Gerudo—fucking _anyone_ else—that would have been…that would have been so much better. For everything. Everyone.

"…His name is Zant. He was Midna's fiancé, but she won't talk about it. He betrayed her, cursed her and her people, and invaded Hyrule. Murdered the Zora Queen, attacked Kakariko, and captured Zelda. She's with Midna now, though he still has her body."

He forced himself to look into the fire, away from the kid. He just…the kid looked…it was so _hard_, to remember who it really was in front of him.

Because the kid was so damn _young_—and that was unnerving. Harsh and violent and _young_ and if this was what the Sheikah was like, he could hardly fathom what the Beast was now.

Being bonded…_twisted_ things together. And Farore had created the Beast to be a monster so that he couldn't just turn _into _one. But this—everything he was seeing—that was all on the Sheikah, not the Beast.

And _fuck_, he was fucked up, but this kid was…

Well, not that he could blame him.

The Sheikah folded his arms over his knees, leaning towards the fire, and he went very still suddenly, eyes lighting up.

After a few heartbeats, the kid relaxed, blinking and shifting back into an upright position.

He'd done that, a few times, since he'd been summoned. Contacting the Beast, he assumed.

"You could hurt him. Zant. Is that—is your sword…" the Sheikah trailed off, apparently not knowing what exactly to say.

_It's the Master Sword's shadow. Wont' leave me alone. I call it the Shadow Master._

That drew a small sound of amusement from the kid.

They'd gotten the final rune, and were headed around Castle Town to the field, where they'd meet up with the Beast and the Twilit Queen.

He was more than a little anxious about it. He'd felt the Twilit Queen, when he'd been…_stuck_…and the power she held was immense. More of a threat to him than the Triforce was, because her power was the power of _all_ her people. Every single soul, living and dead, that had ever existed and ever would.

The Sheikah's affinity for death, it appeared, had lasted through the years they'd spent evolving into something else.

_Still worried about the bodies?_

The kid sort of shrank inwards at that, though only slightly.

"Not theirs. Zant didn't leave enough of them left to be worried about. But those Hylians in the chasm—the Ninth isn't prepared for that. It's miraculous, that no dead have risen when we haven't been able to tend them. The Kakariko graveyard alone is…_massive_. So many bodies, most just buried on top of others when the tombstones wear away. But those chasms aren't contained, and a lot of them lead to Castle Town itself."

_Worrying over the future?_

"If our charges start murdering Hylians while we're trying to regain our place here, we're fucked."

_You want the Sheikah to come back to Hyrule?_

That made the Sheikah pause.

"…No. Not really. I just want…we need to take care of the dead. Fuck the Hylians, and fuck Hyrule. They're not our concern, unless they interfere with our business. Reclaiming the Ninth is my top priority. My people's safety, too."

He loathed himself at moments like that. Because the kid was nothing like…

The kid had grown up fast. He was smart. Cruel, perhaps, but practical. Willing to do anything for his people, and ready and willing to kill—not that he appreciated gore, which made him wonder what the kid would do when he actually got to the Shadow Temple, but—

Nothing at all like what he kept expecting.

_Reclaiming_?

The kid bit the inside of his cheek at that, wincing immediately as a dribble of blood ran down his chin. He muttered a curse, pressed the back of a hand to his mouth, and refused to look directly at him.

"The Traitor's still…alive. Trying to break it. The Ninth. She sent those Moblins, when I summoned you."

Holy _shit._

_Impa is alive?_

Holy _shit._ That meant—holy _shit._

He dropped the stick he'd been using to scribble in the dirt, standing.

Then damn near dove for it again, hurrying to write.

_Hero of Time?_

"Dead. Well, his spirit is still around. Link…banished him. He and Midna stuck him in the Ninth. Made sure they knew who he was and what he'd done."

No fucking way.

Then…

Holy _shit._

The Three had promised him justice, once everything that had happened faded and their souls were finally released. But that was an incredibly long time to wait, past what he'd already done, and…he was a very impatient man. And he wouldn't be able to deliver it personally.

Justice, he realized, might not be as out of reach as he thought it had been.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Sheik knew he was dreaming the minute he saw the basket floating in the pond.

He reached out with a long stick, trying to snag it and drag it to the shore, but he ended up sending the thing bouncing out of reach.

Why he wasn't just stepping into the water was absolutely beyond him—it looked deep, but he was more than capable of reaching it and getting back to shore. A monkey suddenly burst past him, launching itself at the basket, and before he could so much as process what was going on, had snatched it up and was clinging to a spur of rock in the center of the pond.

He stepped forward, and—

"Hey." He let out a groan when Link sort of flopped on top of him, curling inward reflexively.

"What are you doing?" Sheik asked, wincing while Link propped himself up on his arms to take most of his weight off of Sheik's chest.

They were in their room in New Kakariko, room lit by nothing but a lantern. The windows had been shuttered, but cold night air still crept in.

Sheik grabbed the corner of the blanket he was lying on and—

"_No!"_ He flinched at the sharpness in Veran's tone, and dropped his arms. She smacked the back of his head before tugging his arms back into position.

"You _never_ back down, Sheik. It's important to keep yourself safe, but you can't let your fear of getting hurt or injured stop you from fighting like you need to. Now hold the knife properly."

Skull Kid snickered, and Sheik waited until Veran had her back turned to pull his cowl down and stick his tongue out at it.

"_Ow!"_

"Pay attention, Sheik! Knife, now!" And—

The imp's fingers curled around the bars of his cell as her grin grew, so wild and so _violent_ that his hackles raised and he went to tell her to go the fuck away, but it came out as a growl and for the third time since waking up he panicked because _he couldn't feel his limbs and—_

"I love you."

"You're full of shit, Hero." Sheik replied, voice just as sing-song as Link's had been, and tugged the blanket over Link, shifting to pull it out from beneath him.

Link grinned as he helped pull the blanket over him, head dipping down and resting his forehead against Sheik's. Sheik felt his eyes widen in alarm.

"If you kiss me, I'm going to—"

And Link's hand was _hot_, when it pressed against the side of his throat, fingers sliding up his cheek and thumb tilting his head up—

The kid slammed into his chest, bawling, and he tried to hide how badly he was shaking as he wrapped an arm around the boy, hand fisting to hide the golden light pouring from it. Rusl was shouting behind him, and the Moblins were dead and the monkey was long gone, but—

Midna sneered at him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

And then Ilia was standing in front of him, and then each and every one of the kids, faces twisted in pain and fear and terror and their voices screamed out for him to help them.

He saw red. Jumped, lunging for her throat and teeth bared, he was out for blood. And something hit his side, sent him flying off of the roof he stood on and out over the open courtyard, monsters screeching as the movement caught their attention—

Link's teeth scraped against his throat, and Sheik shuddered, hand tightening on Link's wrist—

He'd made a mistake, thinking he was safe outside of the Grove, and he was _furious_. The Hylian sneered at him, pressed his face into the dirt and he wished furiously he was tall, strong like Malladus had been because he was so small the Hylian had pinned him with absolutely no problem. He writhed, fought as hard as he possibly could.

"Keep moving and I'll break your fucking arm, Blood Eye." The Hylian pressed a knee into his back, and he heard the sound of a blade being drawn.

And for the first time, terror struck him, the reality that this man would kill him, if not worse, and it was his own fault for sneaking out without even telling Veran or Majora or Skull Kid that he loved them or was sorry for—

"Did you know my mom?" He asked Uli after she'd put Colin to sleep, as he took care of dinner dishes. Uli stopped cold, one hand reaching out for the door.

"Rusl says he promised my parents he'd take care of me. I just—I was wondering if you…"

The soft click of the door stopped him cold, and he looked up to find her gone—

He plucked the strings on his lyre until his fingertips were red and bleeding. But after night had fallen and he had exhausted every song he'd ever known, Skull Kid crept down from the tree it had hidden itself in and sniffed.

"Aren't you—aren't you mad at me? Majora said you'd be mad at me."

He set his lyre down, and Skull Kid tackled him, crying.

"Majora doesn't know everything. They were defiling the Grove. And your puppets aren't our dead."

"But you yelled at me."

He rolled his eyes, pressed Skull Kid closer.

"Don't you think you should find out how they got in before you killed them?" And Skull Kid looked up at him, still—

"You'll be fine, Link." Rusl wasn't really looking at him when he spoke, and he bit the inside of his cheek _hard_.

Amazing thirteenth birthday gift. Being kicked out of the town, made to live by himself in a house with no door or windows that had been abandoned for as long as he could remember.

"It wasn't my fault! I don't—I don't know what I—I don't even remember it!"

"_Enough, Link!"_ And the sudden _fury_ in Rusl's face was so sudden, so thunderous—

He shifted and Link pressed closer, flashing a wicked sort of grin at him before his other hand pressed against Sheik's hip and he pressed his mouth to Sheik's.

"I miss you. Not as bad as I thought I would, I guess, but I just—I just miss you." Link murmured, pulling away a touch. He didn't stop moving, shifting his hips and moving his hands, though.

"I'm going to kill you." Sheik gasped, and he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing with his hands or anything else because _fuck—_

He hid in a bush when he heard Ilia screaming his name, and the goat he'd been trying to free pressed against his side with a contented sigh.

He loved Ordon, he really did. It was home, and the people there were family, but he couldn't stand it any longer. The looks, and the questions, and the _anger_ every time he went off by himself, did something Rusl didn't approve of. He wasn't a child any longer, he was _sixteen!_

And honestly, he was done with Ilia trying to play peace maker when Rusl was—

He refused to so much as whimper when the Hylian started cutting him. He'd made that mistake once, and he would rather die than make it again.

But the Hylian was stupid. Put two identical slashes on his stomach as if they were finishing touches and leaned back, letting go of him. Maybe the Hylian thought he was in too much pain to move, or too scared to. He turned, the blade he'd been hiding in his palm flying out. Blood sprayed across his face—

He tugged Link closer, pressing their mouths together, and punched Link's side when he started laughing because _Lanayru_ the Hero was an asshole—

"I don't think this is a good idea."

"Are you not gonna do it?"

"_It's perfectly safe."_ He shot Majora a look, but they already knew he wasn't going to back out. He tightened his grip on the leaf Skull Kid had handed him, drew in a deep breath, and charged down the slope. He jumped as far as he could when he hit the edge of the cliff, and started screaming as he plummeted because _holy Lanayru he was going to die._

And then the wind caught and he was jerked up so hard his arms screamed in pain and Skull Kid started laughing—

He'd never looked at Midna like she was…like she was an actual person before. But she was dying for him, injured because of him, and he couldn't move fast enough as her breathing slowed, heartbeat getting quieter and—

Veran rolled her eyes, and Sheik struggled to hide his grin of triumph.

"You're a brat."

"I love you."

"Happy birthday, squirt." She sighed, and before he could fully register what she was doing she'd put him in a headlock—

_"I did. Should you harm the Sheikah in any way, if you have anything to do with his death, Skull Kid and I will hunt you down and destroy you."_ Majora said, voice so cold and aching with power—

Link's head was warm, hazy with hunger and pleasure, and so was his. He tugged at Link's tunic, cursing when the cloth caught, and choked back a moan.

"Why do you have so many weapons on?" Link's voice was low, rough, and he didn't wait for a response before—

Sheik woke violently, trembling and shaking and heat coiling in his head and in his body and—_fuck_, Link was still asleep and things kept rising, threatening to drag him back down into sleep and memories that weren't his and—

It took a few tries to get to his feet. He could still feel Link against him, still half-see the room around him and hear voices he'd never heard before echoing in his ears. He stumbled—and somebody caught him from behind. The Shadow, he realized, clamping a hand over his mouth and struggling to not make a sound—_he was going to fucking murder Link._

The Shadow pressed a hand to his thigh, and—

"_No—"_

Link's mind shifted suddenly, and Sheik stumbled, pulling free of the Shadow. Something nudged his shoulder, and he leaned on Epona for a second, trying to pull himself together.

He just—he needed to be alone.

Neither Epona or the Shadow followed him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Talk about a mind fuck….eh? :D**

**So a lot happened this chapter lol. Didn't really realize that until I was about done with it and saw the page count lol. Lots of info. And…if you're gonna guess, why not do so for the contest ;3?**

**Well. That escalated quickly. Anyway, don't worry. Troubles with the bond are far from over! Lol. The stuff that will happen x3 You guys'll be so mad. Sorry that part was so fucking trippy though. Hard to figure out how to write it properly.**

**So yeah, just realized no Twilit beasts have actually come into the story yet. Weird having to describe the buggers. (but they're so CUTE x3) I don't think 'nubbing' is actually a word, but, eh.**

**SO MEET THE SHADOW. A character with a subplot so fucking complicated my sister was shocked that it isn't the focus of this entire story lol. So the Shadow is the very same guardian from the very first chapter, who helped Sheik get out of the cage. In case any of you guys weren't clear on that lol. How he got into Link's shadow is an entirely different story.**

**Also Epona is a sass master.**

**So on my Deviantart page I've got a fun little pic for A Route with some teasers, if you want to take a look…uses the HW models but that's fine bc they're my favorite lol. Also, no one has converted + released OoT Sheik yet SO. I tried but that turned out…not good. Not good at ALL. Don't know how to add materials in Blender…if anybody knows, if you'd like to drop some hints I would love you forever. And credit you. :D**


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